


Unmasked (2020 rewrite)

by Snowish



Series: Dramaturgy [1]
Category: Super Mario & Related Fandoms, Super Paper Mario (Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Attempted Murder, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Flashbacks, Kidnapping, Mild Blood, Panic Attacks, Scopophobia, Stabbing, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:42:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27671534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snowish/pseuds/Snowish
Summary: A rewrite of my fanfic, Unmasked! Lots of changes in pacing, stuff that happens, and some details here and there.Major tags will be added as they are relevant, and noted before the chapters in which they apply.
Series: Dramaturgy [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2023421
Comments: 9
Kudos: 10





	1. So Close, So Far

It was a bright and cheery day in the Mushroom Kingdom. Birds flew about, singing their songs, their melodies accented by the splashing of nearby Cheep Cheeps. The peace was clear and calming.

The Mushroom Kingdom was always a peaceful place, its residents would insist. Sure, there would be bouts of trouble here and there, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed by two well-known individuals--Mario and Luigi.

Ah, yes, the Mario Bros. Whether working on their own or together, they could always be counted on, even in the most dire of situations. They had taken down many a dastardly foe--and some, even more than once… Such as a certain fiery-tempered koopa king.

Thankfully, the twins had nothing calling them to action this warm spring day, and they were free to spend it however they pleased. Mario, for example, was in the midst of reading a particularly interesting book. He had been recommended it by an acquaintance, and so far their recommendation had been apt, but his eyes lifted from the page when a noise broke his focus.

**_“ACHOO!”_ **

The sneeze echoed through the cozy house, not that it had to travel very far. The one who had sneezed was only in the next room--the kitchen--after all. Mario placed a bookmark and set his reading down on the side table, getting up to check on them.

Luigi stood in the kitchen, wiping his nose with a handkerchief. He had just opened a drawer, but removed his hand from the handle when Mario came in, turning to look at his brother.

“Everything alright?” Mario asked, always the concerned older brother. This wasn’t the first time Luigi had sneezed that day, but it was definitely the loudest. His concern was apparently noted, as Luigi fumbled for a response that wouldn’t cause too much worry.

“Of course, Mario! Just a little, uh… Dust! That’s all!” He said with a chuckle as he closed the drawer. His laugh wasn’t very convincing, but he hoped Mario wouldn’t care. “I was just looking for some, uh, tape. And Glue. But it seems we’re out!”

Mario gave a small frown, not entirely convinced by his brother’s attempt to smooth things over. Luigi had been sneezing all day, and his face certainly looked a little flushed. Even if he insisted he was fine, Mario didn’t want him to push himself.

“Then I’ll go get some from Toad Town.” He offered. “I think you need to get a little bed rest.”

“Ah, c’mon, Mario!” Luigi insisted, shaking his head. “It’s just some sniffles! Probably just allergies! I’ll go get the stuff, you don’t need to worry about me!”

“Luigi, you shouldn’t push yourself if you’re--”

_Ding-dong! Ding-dong!_

Mario’s scolding was interrupted by the doorbell, making the twins pause. After they exchanged a curious glance, they both went to the door, Luigi opening it wide to reveal who their visitor was.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re home!” A shrill voice cried. The green-shelled Koopa stood on their porch, wringing her hands worriedly. “I mean, I don’t want to be a bother, but--But um--”

“It’s quite alright, miss… ?” Luigi prompted.

“Kitty. Kitty Koopa.” She said with a hurried nod. “It’s just… I have a bit of an environmental emergency on my hands. And, well, given you two live close by, I figured… It wouldn’t be so bad to ask for assistance, right?”

“Of course!” Mario assured her, smiling. “We’ll be glad to help with whatever you need!”

“Well, it isn’t too big of a task, so I wouldn’t want to bother _both_ of you…” She mumbled. “So whoever is more willing…”

Taking his chance, Luigi pushed Mario forward, surprising the red-clad plumber to the point of stumbling and almost falling over.

“Well, I was already planning to head out into Toad Town,” Luigi began, closing the front door behind him. “So Mario has more time on his hands! Have fun, you two!”

And with that, he hurried off down the road, not even letting Mario object to his proposal. Mario gave a frustrated sigh, but decided not to push it, instead following the Koopa in the other direction.

  
  


“So, uh, what exactly do you need me to help with?” He asked, keeping pace with Kitty as she hurried. She had explained that she lived not too far down the road, on the edge of a town called Shimmer Coast, and they could get there within minutes.

“Well, you know how we had that terrible thunderstorm a couple of nights ago? It flooded the river by my house, and some Cheep Cheeps spilled over into my garden’s pond. I want to get them back to where they should be, but they’re very agitated about the new environment, and attack me when I get near!” She explained, hands spreading out in exasperation. 

“Ah, yeah, Cheep Cheeps can be pretty aggressive.” Mario commented. As round and cute as they looked, they could grow to monstrous proportions, and they were ferociously territorial to boot!

“Tell me about it.” She sighed as she finally stopped by a short wooden fence. She pointed into the garden, and sure enough, Mario could see the decorative pond full of red fish. As the Cheep Cheeps splashed about, water overflowed, soaking the stone tiles all around.

“Oh, hey!” Mario commented, pointing to the pond. Amidst all the red scales and yellow crests, he could see a flash of gold. “They say those who find a golden Cheep Cheep will have good luck, Kitty. Looks like today is your lucky day!”

“It’ll be lucky if we can get them out of here in one piece…” She sighed. 

\-----

“Hey, Luigi!” Came a cry as the plumber stepped out of the general store. He held a small bag of the supplies he had purchased, but set them on the ground as a Toad skipped over to him. 

“How are you doing today? You look a little under the weather.” Plenn T. noted. He didn’t stand out too much from the other Toads at first glance--Bright red spots on his cap, brown shoes, and a blue vest--But after spending a while getting to know everyone, Luigi was soon able to pick up on minute differences between them all. Plenn, for instance, had a misshapen spot on the left side of his cap.

“It’s alright, Plenn.” Luigi insisted, giving a good-natured chuckle. “Just some sneezing, nothing to fuss over. I’ll get some rest once I get back home.” Though he kept his voice light, he was slightly annoyed. It was bad enough Mario constantly fussed over him, but the Toads, too? Sometimes protection could easily turn into smothering…

“Actually,” He continued, picking his bag back up. “I should probably hurry back home soon, anyway. Mario is helping a neighbor, and there’s a chance he might need an extra set of hands.”

“Aww, but I wanted to show you the latest additions to my photo album! I managed to snap a picture of Har T. while he was sleeping, and boy, does-”

“Sorry, Plenn, but--” Luigi was about to excuse himself from the conversation, when he was interrupted.

Without warning, a bright flash of blue appeared next to the two. They quickly covered their eyes from the light, and Luigi had to grip his cap so it wouldn’t fly off from flash’s wave of energy. 

Luckily, the light didn’t last very long, and soon the two were free to open their eyes. What met them when they did, however, was enough to make the pair jump in surprise.

A strange girl stood before them, with shimmering skin and large white eyes. Her hair seemed to be solid and yet not--Shifting about slightly in the breeze much like a cloud. Once she seemed to settle from her appearance, she looked to the pair, a hazy expression on her face as if she were half-asleep.

“Ah, I’m sorry…” She mumbled, supporting the feeling that she seemed to have just woken up. “Did I startle you? I wasn’t aware I was going to arrive in a dimension with…”

Before she could finish her sentence, the starry girl swayed on her feet. As her voice trailed off, her eyes slid shut, and she fell over, collapsing on the ground.

“Holy smokes!” Plenn said, not wasting any time. He hurried over to the girl and lifted her head up. He took a moment to look her over before looking back to Luigi.

“She seems fine, luckily.” He managed. “Just passed out, it looks like. But what are the odds of this happening? Just who is she?”

“Don’t look at me!” Luigi insisted, panic flooding his system. “Not every strangely-appearing person is something I have to get involved with!”

“Right, right… Sorry.” Plenn sighed, gently setting the girl’s head back on the ground. “In that case, you keep an eye on her. I’m gonna go get the doctor!”

And before Luigi could object, Plenn T. had dashed off.

\-------

Wrangling the Cheep Cheeps had definitely been no easy task. They were slippery little things! But thankfully, with Kitty’s help, Mario was eventually able to transfer the fish from the garden pond to the river, and none of them had been injured in the storm. With all that taken care of, he was free to head home.

“Luigi, I’m back!” Mario called, opening the door. He paused at the threshold, listening for a response, but none came. He frowned, then took a few steps inside.

 _Maybe he’s in bed_ , Mario thought. That trip to town must have worn him out. It would be a good thing, after all, if he was actually getting some rest.

Mario made his way quietly up the stairs, not wanting to wake his brother up, then slowly pushed open the door to Luigi’s room.

As it usually was, his brother’s room was neat and tidy, with nothing out of place. Mario probably could have taken some pointers from his brother, as his room was almost always in disorder. However, what caught Mario’s attention was that there was nobody in bed.

 _Is he still out in town?_ He thought, closing the door. That seemed to be the only possible answer. _Surely it didn’t take_ that _long to buy something._

_Perhaps I should go and check on him…_ He paused, looking down at his clothes. They were splattered with water and a bit of mud from his time wrangling the Cheep Cheeps. 

_Once I change clothes, that is_ **.** He conceded. It’s not like anyone would notice--he had several pairs of the same outfit.

\-----

“Mario! There you are!” 

Luigi waved across the crowd of Toads, waiting for his brother to make his way over. Once Mario was next to him, Luigi heaved a big sigh. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but with their luck… Let’s just say he was glad he didn’t have to face it alone now.

“What’s, uh… Going on?” Mario asked, glancing around. All the Toads seemed agitated, mumbling amongst themselves and staring worriedly off towards the building that housed the doctor’s office. 

“Well…” Luigi mumbled, rubbing at his arm.

He managed to relay to Mario what had happened earlier, much to his brother’s surprise. It wasn’t often somebody teleported into the middle of Toad Town, much less somebody like the girl Luigi described.

“I’ve never heard of anyone who looks like that…” He admitted once Luigi was finished. “Perhaps we should check on her and make sure she’s alright…”

Luigi knew that look. Mario sensed the need to help somebody, and he wasn’t going to let it slip by. It was quite admirable, really. 

“The doctor is looking her over, but once he’s done, maybe we can talk with her.” Luigi said. “But… I am worried…”

“Huh?”

Luigi let out a small sigh, wringing his hands before continuing. 

“When she arrived, she said something about… ‘arriving in a dimension.’” He mumbled. “And it… It reminded me of…”

His voice went quiet, and his eyes went distant. He didn’t seem to realize he was now squeezing his own hands.

Mario blinked in surprise, then frowned, slowly putting a hand on his brother’s shoulder. Once Luigi had snapped back into focus, he gave him a reassuring smile.

“I’m sure it’s just a coincidence, bro. We’ve met lots of people on our journeys. I’m sure she just happens to share similar abilities, that’s all.”

Luigi took in a shaky breath before nodding, doing his best to calm himself. 

“Right… Right. Sorry. I just… You know.” He managed.

“It’s alright.”

Though Mario kept his voice warm, he couldn’t help but feel worried. It had been a while since Luigi had last thought about those times, but they always brought similar reactions. Hopefully he could keep his brother from fixating on those terrible memories…

At that moment, the door to the doctor’s building swung open, prompting the crowd to finally let their worries boil over. The Toads all around cried out to the doctor who had appeared, begging for answers, but their questions were ignored. Instead, the doctor gestured for Mario and Luigi to approach, as well as another Toad--Plenn T.

“You’re the ones she appeared in front of, right?” The doctor asked. “She wants to speak to you.” He said once they had confirmed as such. He then turned back to the door and led them into the building.

The doctor led them to a room full of beds, all of which were empty except for the one closest to the door. In it sat the girl who had appeared before Luigi and Plenn.

When the three approached, she slowly turned to face them, her movements slow and flowy as if she were moving through water. She greeted them with a slight bow of the head and a slow blink before speaking.

“I wanted to apologize for earlier… I collapsed before I could finish speaking. It must have certainly given you a fright.” She said. Her voice was soft and gentle, with a mature tone that permeated through it.

“Darn right you did!!” Plenn exclaimed. “Appearing outta nowhere, with no warning? You could give somebody a heart attack!! But hey, at least you’re alright, huh?”

“Yes, yes…” She replied with a slow nod. “Again, my sincerest apologies. I had no intention of making anyone worry. Traveling between dimensions takes up quite a bit of energy… I must have misjudged how much I had left. But after a bit more rest, I should be fine…”

She then looked up and glanced around the room. Though she had no mouth, the look in her eyes hinted that she would have been giving a soft smile.

“It’s been quite a while since I was in a world as quaint as this.” She admitted. 

Mario could sense Luigi stiffen beside him, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.

“Um… Excuse me.” He spoke up, getting her attention. “Could we ask you something else?”

“Hm? I recall the Toad and the green man, but nobody in red... “ She commented, a bit confused.

“Oh, I’m his brother.” He said with a gesture to Luigi. “I’m Mario. He’s Luigi. And this Toad here is Plenn T.”

At this, the girl’s eyes finally widened, surprise filling her face.

“Oh my word! I’ve completely neglected to introduce myself! Where are my manners… My name is Estelle.”

She was certainly pretty formal, even for somebody confined to a bed for the time being. She also seemed strangely calm, despite finding herself in a new dimension and having passed out in it upon arriving…

“Well, Estelle…” Mario continued. “Could we ask you something else?” 

“By all means.” She said with a nod.

“Do you know somebody named ‘Dimentio?’” Luigi suddenly asked, throwing Mario off-guard. Somehow his brother had worked up the courage to speak.

At this, Estelle blinked again, seemingly her only way of expressing surprise. She took a moment to look at the sheets covering her lap, thinking over her answer, before looking back to them, her voice now a bit sad in tone.

“I’m afraid I don’t… It doesn’t sound the slightest bit familiar. Um… Am I supposed to?”

“Supposed to?” Mario echoed.

Estelle sighed, though it wasn’t easy to tell. Only the shrug of her shoulders and the sound of an exhale gave it away.

“Lately, I’ve felt like I’m missing something in my mind. Some names or memories that were important to me… But no matter how hard I try, I cannot recall them. I thought… I thought you might have known something by asking me if I knew a certain name.” She finally explained. 

“Sounds like some sort of amnesia…” Plenn mumbled. “Are you sure it’s not a result of you teleporting here?”

At this, she shook her head. 

“No, it’s always been like this… As long as I can remember.”

“Ah…” Luigi said softly. “Well… We probably should let you rest up, in any case.”

The trio said goodbye, then made their way out of the building. The crowd had thinned out, and the Toads seemed to have calmed down.

“Well, now that that excitement’s over, I think I’m gonna head home. Thanks for your help, Luigi!” Plenn said with a nod. He waved goodbye and walked off, leaving the brothers by themselves.

“Well, did her explanation help?” Mario asked. He looked up at his brother, who had been distracted by his own thoughts.

“Oh, uh, I suppose.” Luigi admitted. “I guess it was a bit silly of me to think she would know Dimentio… Besides, we beat him fair and square! No way he’s gonna come back.”

“Got that right!” Mario agreed. “Come on, let’s head back home. I think you really need to get some rest after all this excitement.”

“Yeah… I suppose I have been pushing myself--” Luigi started, but gave a loud sneeze. Rather than scold him, however, Mario simply chuckled.

The two began to make their way through the town square and on the path that led home, when a voice called out.

“MARIO! LUIGI! WAIT!”

From up the path came the Koopa from earlier that day, looking like she had run all the way here from her house. When she reached the brothers, she stopped to catch her breath.

“Shimmer Coast… It’s… Giant Blooper! We…” She couldn’t get much more out, as she began to cough. All she did was gesture down the path, desperate that they understand.

Without hesitating, the twins ran down the path, forgetting their plans to relax. If people were in trouble, they were prepared to help out!

**\-------------------------------------**

“When she said giant Blooper, she wasn’t kidding!” Luigi mumbled.

They had just reached the town of Shimmer Coast, a large area of houses dotted alongside the beach. From the entrance, they could clearly see what Kitty had been talking about.

Looming over the town was a giant Blooper. While the brothers had run into some big creatures before, this had to be one of the biggest. 

The people in town were screaming and trying to run from the Blooper’s tentacles, which had already slammed down on a few buildings. Even when situated on the edge of the beach, the squid still had an impressive range.

“Let’s go!” Mario urged, running down one of the cobblestone roads. Luigi followed, and the two began to make their way to the shore.

The Blooper saw their approach, and flung a tentacle at them with a bellow. Luigi leaped out of the way, clinging to the gutter of a house for a moment, and Mario flipped over the slimy appendage with practiced ease. One the danger was clear, the two reunited and kept running.

No matter how many strikes the Blooper attempted, the brothers hopped nimbly out of the way, sometimes stomping back down on the tentacle and making the Blooper wail in pain. 

It wasn’t long before they reached the beach.

“What do we do now?” Mario asked, only slightly winded. Luigi looked up at the squid for a moment, then gave a desperate shrug. Jumping on its arms only seemed to annoy it.

But even though the pair were now up close, the Blooper had stopped attacking, no longer paying attention to the two. Its focus was direct elsewhere, making the pair hesitate.

“Is it just me, or does it seem to not care about us anymore?” Luigi finally asked. He gestured to the Blooper, which seemed to be paying attention to something in the town. In fact, the movement of its tentacles now seemed less destructive and more careful. Like it was… Looking for something?

“That does seem odd.” Mario replied. He quickly adjusted his cap, then charged at the Blooper. Maybe a tackle would get its attention!

Luigi followed suit, and the two plumbers charged into the squishy sea creature. The Blooper flinched from the blow, but only gave the two a moment’s glance. A second later, it let out a noise that could only sound like triumph.

The Blooper began to withdraw all of its tentacles but one, which seemed to be holding something. It carefully brought the object down towards the shore, and examined it closely.

“Now’s our chance!” Luigi crouched and held out his hands, signaling to Mario that he was going to boost him up. Mario ran towards his brother, who quickly vaulted him into the air. Mario flew towards the Blooper, feet forward, and landed a kick square between its eyes.

The squid suddenly bellowed and flailed, striking Mario with one of its free tentacles and sweeping Luigi away with another. The Squid seemed ready to retreat into the water when a voice called out, startling the brothers.

“Hey, buddy, calm down!” 

A blinding flash of pink light filled the brothers’ vision, throwing them off guard. They covered their eyes and attempted to regain their footing after their falls.

When the light had gone away, the giant Blooper was gone. In its place, a normal-sized Blooper poked out of the water. It seemed rather upset, but looked up at the figure who had just appeared before it--A strange, tall individual covered in thin, pale blue fur, and a variety of pink feathers.

The figure crouched down so they were closer to the Blooper, then spoke in a gentle voice.

“You alright? Sorry, I didn’t expect you to run into trouble like that. You still got it though, right?”

With a bunch of trills, the Blooper handed the figure something that shone brightly. The figure took it, then patted the Blooper on the head. 

“Thanks, little guy. Hope you had fun being huge for a bit.”

With a whistle, the Blooper dove back into the sea, and the figure stood up, chuckling to themself. 

“Well, that was pretty easy.” The stranger said.

“Wh-Easy?! What are you talking about? The town is trashed!” Luigi cried, helping his brother up. “Just who are you, anyway? Were you the one who made that Blooper big?”

“Huh?” Upon hearing Luigi’s voice, the figure turned towards them, looking surprised. After a moment, he gave a weak smile and chuckled.

  


“Howdy, boys. Didn’t think anyone would be reckless enough to charge right at a rampaging Blooper. Hope you didn’t get too beat up!”

“Like that matters.” Luigi huffed. “It’s caused so much damage already!”

“And if you ask me, it didn’t look like it was rampaging. It gave you something!” Mario cried.

“Oh, yeah. This, you mean?” The strange creature opened one of his hands, revealing a small white shard. Upon closer inspection it looked like a… Puzzle piece? Before either of the brothers could get a look at it, the creature withdrew his hand.

“He was doing me a favor. I turned him big for a bit, and he found this for me!” He chuckled, flashing sharp fangs. 

“You trashed our ENTIRE town just to find some glowy thing?” A roar came from further up the beach. The stranger looked over to see a crowd of angry townsfolk stomping towards him.

“Ah, looks like reinforcements are coming. That’s Fabula’s cue to say… Ciao!” He waved to the brothers before spinning in place, vanishing in a puff of pink smoke.

Luigi frowned at the stranger’s words, but said nothing. Mario noticed his reaction, but directed his attention to the crowd that had arrived.

“Dammit, he left!” A Parakoopa snarled. “I was gonna give him a taste of my ol’ one-two!”

A majority of the crowd grumbled, but went back the way they had come, setting off to begin work on repairing the town. The only ones who remained were a blue-shelled Koopa with thick glasses and an old-looking Cheep Cheep, who floated in a large bowl beside him. The bowl itself sat on a dolly-like contraption, which allowed movement.

“It can’t be! He stole it!” The Cheep Cheep cried, covering her face with her fins.

“Mario, Luigi, can we have a word with you? It’s of the utmost importance!” The Koopa urged.

The brothers exchanged looks, then walked over to the pair.

“My name is Miss Gills. I am the oldest resident of this town. This is my apprentice, Kyle.” The Cheep Cheep began. “In the Blooper attack, our home was destroyed, and something very important was stolen. You probably saw the Blooper give it to that strange man.”

“You know what that was? I didn’t get a good look at it.” Luigi admitted. 

“Yes. It’s a very dangerous object. I must ask you keep the information I am about to tell you secret. The fate of this world depends on it.” Miss Gills replied. 

“We know your reputation, but this is very sensitive information, you see.” Kyle urged.

The brothers nodded in unison, and the pair in front of them seemed to tense.

“The object you saw is called a Stability Piece. It is the only one of its kind… In this dimension. Every dimension has one. If a Stability piece were to somehow get taken from its dimension or destroyed…” Miss Gills trailed off, glancing at Kyle.

“The dimension would eventually collapse.” Kyle finished with a grave tone.

“I’m certain the man has left this dimension. That means we do not have much time. Since Kyle and I are the guardians of the Stability Piece, we can use our power to buy some time… But it will not last forever. That’s why we’re asking you to get the Stability Piece back.”

“But Ma’am, the Mario Brothers can’t travel between dimensions!” Kyle suddenly cried, adjusting his glasses. “Is it really wise placing such a mission in their hands?”

Miss Gills sighed before replying.

“Had our home stayed intact, we would have had resources to help you. However… As we said before, it was destroyed. We cannot provide any assistance. Perhaps Kyle is right… I got my hopes up too high…”

“It’s not your fault, Ma’am. The Mario Bros. can do a lot of things… But perhaps this is too complicated.” Kyle mumbled.

Mario, who had been considering accepting, suddenly broke free of his thoughts. 

“Actually, I think we do have a way to travel like that.” He said.

Luigi blinked, unsure, then realized what his brother was talking about.

“You mean Estelle? What makes you think she’ll help us?” He asked.

“It’s worth a try. Miss Gills, we’ll take your request. Whatever it takes to save the dimension!” Mario clenched his fists in excitement. Luigi nodded, giving a thumbs up.

“Oh, goodness! Thank you, Mario! Thank you, Luigi!” Kyle cried. “We place all of our faith in you.”

“May no harm befall you on your quest.” Miss Gills said. Kyle then took hold of the handles on the dolly and began to push Miss Gills away, leaving the brothers on the beach.

“Well, let’s go back and see if we can find Estelle.” Luigi said. Mario nodded, and the two hurried off.

\-----

“Estelle! Wait!”

The starry girl was about to step out of the town when a cry from behind stopped her. She turned around and saw Mario and Luigi running towards her.

“You two again; Hello.” She said. She looked between the pair while giving a small wave, certainly looking much better than she had earlier. “Is there… Something you need? I was about to go looking around this place for a while.”

“Yes, actually.” Luigi admitted. “Something serious has happened… And you’re the only one we know who can help us, because… We need to travel through dimensions.”

At this, Estelle once again gave one of her surprised blinks. She certainly hadn’t expected to be needed for such a thing. But she remained quiet and listened carefully as they hastily explained the situation. Even her eyes did not betray what she thought of this information, as her face remained still throughout.

When they were done, she looked to the ground and swept her hair to the side, sighing.

“That is… Quite the heavy request. Such a responsibility being thrown at me, when I have only just arrived here…” She said slowly. “As important as it is, I don’t know if I can agree to help you… Selfish, I know…”

“But… We need to know where that guy--Fabula--went!” Mario insisted.

Upon hearing the name, Estelle’s head snapped up. Her eyes were wide with surprise, and she remained quiet for several moments. After an uneasy silence, she finally found her voice, though it was barely above a whisper.

“Where did you hear that name?” She asked.

The brothers exchanged glances, put off by her strange reaction, but decided to answer her.

“That’s what the guy called himself.” Luigi explained. “Before he disappeared, at least. Why do you ask?”

“That name… It strikes a chord with me. But I don’t know why… It’s like I can almost recall, but... “

She closed her eyes and furrowed her brow, as if trying desperately to remember. After a moment of painstakingly going through her mind, she opened her eyes again, sighing once more as she shook her head.

“Maybe you know him somehow.” Mario dared to suggest. But Estelle seemed so nice. Why would she be involved with a man who just stole a dangerously powerful item and put a whole dimension at risk?

“Well, I won’t know until I encounter him myself, I suppose.” She finally managed. “So I will help you. But I must warn you of some things regarding my abilities.”

The brothers nodded in unison, giving her their undivided attention.

“First, as I have mentioned, my teleporting uses up energy. I need to rest after using it. Hopefully I won’t enter another state where I pass out, but I still need to rest between dimensions. And that brings me to the next warning. I… Cannot control where I teleport.” She explained.

“Huh? What do you mean by that?” Luigi asked. It was certainly going to be an obstacle if they couldn’t go directly after Fabula. What if they never found him?

“Wherever I end up is random. I could teleport us right over an active volcano, for example, and I would have no control over it. I have sometimes wound up visiting the same dimension more than once because of this.”

Mario and Luigi frowned. That was certainly going to be an obstacle.

“But there is one more thing I must tell you… If this Fabula does indeed hold the key to my missing memories… I am going to focus on that. But I also would like to see if there are any clues in any dimensions we come across. So I ask you let me look around a bit before we move on.” She finished.

The brothers were quiet, then turned to each other. Estelle looked away, giving them a chance to discuss it.

“I didn’t expect that part with the teleportation.” Luigi admitted. “Now I’m not sure if it’s worth it, bro.”

Mario gave a small nod. “But it’s a better chance than what we had earlier, which was nothing.”

“I suppose.” Luigi mumbled. He paused for a moment, then sneezed.

“Are you sure you’re going to have the energy to do this, though?” Mario asked. “I’m worried your cold’s going to get worse in the middle of everything.”

“If it does, I’ll muddle through! I’m fine, I swear.” Luigi assured him, even though his pink face did nothing to calm his worries.

“Okay.” Mario said, turning to Estelle. “We’ll accept these conditions.”

“Very well. Are you ready to travel, then?” She replied.

The brothers nodded, and then Estelle held out her hands. The brothers took hold of them, then prepared themselves.

Estelle closed her eyes, concentrating. The trio suddenly started to glow, startling a few passerby Toads. As the white began to flood their vision, the brothers could feel themselves whisked away, off to some unknown dimension.

\---

“Ah, geez, that was a close one!” Fabula sighed, twirling into view. The pink smoke that had surrounded him quickly faded, and he lighted on the ground. All around him, colors were shifting and shapes were spinning. It was hard to tell what was stable ground, but that was the norm in this dimension.

“Siiiiiirrrr! I’ve got the Stability Piece you wanted!” He spread all four of his arms out, then brought the one holding the piece forward. He wore a proud smile on his face, happy at the job well done.

“My, my! That was fast work.” Came a voice.

A smaller figure shimmered into view, quickly taking the Stability Piece from Fabula.

“Thank you, Dimentio, sir! Wasn’t too bad, either!” Fabula said. He kept his smile up for a moment more, then frowned, looking lost in thought.

“Is something the matter?” Dimentio asked, looking away from the piece for a moment.

“It’s just… Sir, I can’t thank you enough for helping me out. Especially after I lost my mask, and all. Finding these Stability Pieces so you can recover your power… It’s the least I can do, really! But… Sometimes I get the feeling I should be looking for something else, too…” Fabula muttered, fidgeting with the tufts of fur on his elbows.

Dimentio started at him for a moment, looking thoughtful, then smiled.

“Oh, you must mean ‘her!’” He cried. 

Fabula blinked, confused.

“‘Her?’”

“Shortly before you lost your mask… Before I helped you out of that jam… You were talking about looking for somebody. You didn’t give a name, but you kept saying stuff like ‘I need to find her! It’s my fault she’s missing!’ I assume your desire you find her remains, even without memories.” Dimentio said, nodding slowly.

“Gee… That actually makes a lot of sense. But… How am I supposed to know if I found her? My mask is gone, and my memories along with it… So how am I supposed to know what she looks like? Like you said, a Masked Magician’s memories are linked to their mask. Without mine, I’m… Pretty much hopeless!” Fabula groaned, hunching over.

Dimentio shook his head and floated closer to Fabula. 

“I promise you, I’m doing everything in my power to find your mask. But for that power to increase, I need more Stability Pieces, okay? You keep looking for them. I’ll let you know when I’ve found it.”

Fabula nodded, standing up straight. 

“Right, sir! Sorry for bothering you with that stuff. I’ll get to looking for the next one right away!”

Without another word, Fabula twirled, and vanished in a puff of pink smoke.

Dimentio waited a few moments before turning back to the Stability Piece in his hand. 

“Good. Just keep doing as I say…”

With a wave of his hand, the piece disappeared. He snapped his fingers, and a large golden mask appeared beside him. The top half had a smile and wide eyes, but when it was turned over, the mouth changed to a frown with droopy eyes.

“After all, as long as I have this, you really have no reason not to!”


	2. There Goes Another One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter-specific warnings: Canon-typical action/violence, visual depiction of some blood/wounds (colored blue).

__

* * *

_This was a mistake._

That was the primary thought flashing through Fabula’s mind as he stumbled forward. He was gripping his chest, trying his best to cover up the bright blue wounds that marred it. 

He had been searching for her. He had been searching for her for _seventy years_. Up until now, he had managed to avoid major conflict and injury; but this dimension… It wasn’t like others. It was full to the brim with hostile energy, and its inhabitants were the same.

Fabula was exhausted. He knew he couldn’t keep running. He needed to get out of this place before it would be the end of him. 

But did he even have enough energy to teleport again? He could perhaps try, but if it failed… 

The growls were at his heels now. He could hear their claws clicking on the ground. Though he resisted the urge to look back, their bright, angry eyes burned into his mind. He needed to make a choice _now_.

\---

Most people would assume traveling between dimensions was easy. That it felt like floating or shifting from one spot to another. That is true to an extent. The lines between worlds are generally loose and porous, allowing for easy travel so long as one is able to do so. 

However, some worlds have more strict and rigid barriers. They may allow one to enter, but not to leave. They could also require more power than one can provide, so only certain individuals can manage it.

Then there’s the case of those with artificially strengthened walls. Somebody could very well prevent the entry of their world, and it would feel like a barrier to those attempting to enter. Most of the time, these walls are impenetrable, but there are cases where they can be overwhelmed.

Which brings us back to our original point; because for Fabula, arriving in this new dimension was quite like crashing through a glass wall. It initially resisted his arrival, but with his desperation, he was able to draw enough power and break through the barrier.

Once safe of the previous world and its dangers, his body finally gave way, and he collapsed where he appeared, gasping for air. Had his vision not already been swimming, he would have noticed the odd manner in which shapes and colors shifted about, creating a disorienting experience.

As far as he could tell, nobody else was present. Strange. The scenery seemed to stretch out endlessly, and he couldn’t spot any figure in its expanse. Surely this place wasn’t empty?

But he didn’t have the time or energy to focus on that question. His eyes were growing heavy, and he knew he couldn’t stay awake much longer. 

With his breath steadying, his sight grew dark, and eventually he passed out.

\----

“Excuse me.”

The voice, composed and stern, broke Fabula from his sleep. With some effort, he managed to open his eyes and raise his head, wincing as the pain from his wounds flared up.

As his eye adjusted, he could see somebody floating in the air in front of him. Somebody was actually here?

“And to who do I owe the pleasure of finding having forced their way into my space?” The voice, clearly coming from the figure, asked. Bitterness was apparent in their tone, and it made Fabula frown. Couldn’t they see he was clearly injured?

“I-I apologize,” He managed, doing his best to sit up. “But I was trying to run from something, and this is just where I happened to end up…”

Fabula paused when he could more clearly see the person, something about their appearance surprising him.

They were rather short, especially compared to him, despite floating in the air. They wore a cloak with purple and yellow segments, a matching pointed hat on their head. Black breeches covered their legs, and on their feet were a pair of pointed shoes. Though they seemed to be folding their arms, Fabula could only see their hands, which were covered in black gloves.

But the detail that made Fabula pause was their face. An angular mask looked at Fabula with an annoyed expression, split down the middle in a half-black-half-white coloration. Their mismatched eyes, black and yellow, were narrowed, and their mouth was a clear scowl.

“You have a mask…” Fabula managed, momentarily forgetting his pain. 

“As do you, but I’m not a fan of stating the obvious.” The person scoffed, letting their annoyance be even more apparent. “You didn’t answer my question.”

Fabula blinked, then shook his head in an apologetic fashion. 

“My name is Fabula. I am dreadfully sorry to intrude, but I was in danger, and--”

“Well, Fabula,” They interrupted, waving their hand. “You’ve been here longer than I’d like, so perhaps it’s time for you to be moving on, hm?”

The feathers on Fabula’s head drooped a bit, not prepared for such a cold response. Did this strangely-dressed individual not have any sympathy in their heart?

“Trust me, I don’t wish to intrude any longer than I have, but…” He managed, giving another wince as a sharp intake of breath hurt him once more. “Surely you know a Masked Magician needs to rest before expending themselves again? I don’t wish to burn out…”

The figure folded their arms again, leering at Fabula. Though they were still annoyed by his presence, he could see the faintest glimmer of curiosity in their eyes. 

“You are a Masked Magician as well?” They asked.

“But of course. I come from Sonatus.”

“Intriguing.”

Fabula looked away for a moment, not sure what to make of the change in mood. He still needed rest, so if he could perhaps win this fellow Magician over…

“May I ask which family you come from?” He asked gently, looking back to them. “Or, more specifically, your name, I suppose.”

At this, the person brought their arms behind their head, crossing their lags and sitting casually in the air. Their expression relaxed as they thought about the best way to answer his question.

“Oh, it’s been many a year since I was last associated with my family, but if you come from Sonatus, you’re likely to have heard of them. My name is Dimentio Filou.” They finally answered, closing their eyes.

Fabula had certainly heard of the Filou family, but the name Dimentio did not ring any bells. Regardless, the Filou family was among the most influential in Sonatus, as was Fabula’s own family. Perhaps some form of rapport could be established.

“Well, this may be hard to believe, but I am many times your elder.” Fabula sighed, doing his best to shift into a more comfortable position. “Would you take pity on this old man and allow him time to rest before moving on? I’m deeply sorry for intruding, and I do wish to continue my search as soon as possible but--”

“Search for what?” Dimentio’s yellow eye opened lazily and fixed on Fabula.

“Ah, well… More like ‘who,’ actually…” Fabula mumbled. “It’s a bit of a long story, honestly…”

“Perhaps I will consider your request if you humor me with this story.” He replied with a casual shrug.

With a surprised blink, Fabula took a moment to answer. Finally, deciding it was better than nothing, he gave a small nod.

“I am a teacher. As you should very well know, once Masked Magicians come of age, they start training with mentors. I took on a girl who had had a rather difficult start, but still showed potential. With my support, she began to make brilliant progress. I’m certain she could have become a stellar magician in no time.

“But…” He started, voice growing tight as he recalled things. “Then came the day we were to practice dimension travel. It was standard procedure, really, and even with her difficulties, I was certain she would have been fine.”

“From the sound of things, that wasn’t the case.” Dimentio commented, to which Fabula shook his head.

“She teleported, and was just supposed to pop into another dimension and come back. It should have been a couple minutes at the most. But… As time went by, nothing happened. She wasn’t coming back.”

Fabula gave a small shudder.

“I tried following her, but without knowing where she went, it was pretty much impossible. I’ve been looking for her ever since. My greatest fear is that… She’s somehow lost her mask, and thus her memories.”

“And how long ago was this?” Dimentio asked, causing another pang to pierce into Fabula’s heart. Fabula was sure he didn’t mean to, but it was still such a sensitive subject…

“Seventy years.” He finally mumbled after a long silence.

Magicians were capable of having lives spanning centuries, of course, so in the grand scheme of things it may not have been long… But to Fabula, each day that passed was more harrowing than the last. He needed to find her.

An uneasy silence hung in the air after Fabula’s answer. Dimentio seemed lost in his own thoughts, and Fabula took the time to relax and glance over his wounds. Though numerous, none were particularly serious. With rest, he would be fine. So would Dimentio allow him to stay, if just for a short while?

“I see.” Dimentio finally said. “That is… Quite unfortunate. A shame you haven’t found her yet.”

Fabula could only manage a short nod.

“In that case, it would be cruel of me not to allow you some reprieve in your decades-long mission.” He continued, spreading his hands. “Take whatever time you need to rest, you are safe from any harm here.”

“Thank you.” Fabula said, unable to hide his relieved sigh. “Your generosity is greatly appreciated.”

“But of course.” Dimentio replied, giving a bow. It was rather amusing to see such a movement as he floated in midair. “I have things to do, so I will leave you to rest.”

And with that, he vanished in a shower of sparks, leaving Fabula alone.

Already Fabula was feeling the ache of exhaustion, and could barely keep his eyes open. Now that he had the permission of the one who presided over the dimension, however, it was much easier to sleep and not be bothered by such anxieties.

What did still itch at him though was the fact he did not recognize Dimentio’s name. The other Magician didn’t seem to be much older than a century or so, and Fabula had definitely been around Sonatus back then. Surely, as his family and the Filou family interacted often due to their influence, he would have heard of _any_ children under the Filou name… But nothing came to mind.

However, he couldn’t spend much more time mulling it over. Sleep came on fast, and in a matter of seconds, he was out like a light.

After a few moments to make sure that Fabula was indeed asleep, Dimentio appeared again, staring down at the strange Magician.

While Fabula had been trying his best to recall just who Dimentio was, the jester-like Magician didn’t bother with trying to remember if Fabula was familiar to him. Something the old man had said had caught his attention, and with it, the gears in his mind had started to turn.

Seven years ago, Dimentio had experienced the worst defeat of his life. He had barely managed to escape with his being, but even after the physical wounds had long since healed, the mental ones ached with every passing day. 

His magic was still rather unstable after the event, only being just strong enough to form this hideaway world and reinforce its barriers. He had hoped to lay low and recover his strength, but with Fabula’s arrival, he was now considering that maybe he didn’t have to wait so long…

 _She’s somehow lost her mask, and thus her memories._ Fabula’s words echoed in his head.

Dimentio knew full well of the danger that surrounded removing one’s mask. Though his mask was a kind that had merged with his body, meaning he had little to worry about, it was apparent that wasn’t the case for Fabula. If Dimentio could take advantage of this, he could resume work on his goal once more…

Already, a plan was forming in his mind. With Fabula weak and wounded, it would be easy to spin a tale to make him indebted to Dimentio. Then he would be one step closer to achieving his dream.

Dimentio floated down so he was level with Fabula’s mask, taking one of its corners in his hand.

“Let’s get this thing off you, shall we?”

\----

The trio of Mario, Luigi, and Estelle stumbled a bit as they hit the ground. Though they hadn’t expected to wind up in the air, luckily enough, a bed of lush grass waited underneath them, cushioning their fall.

As the brothers stood up, wiping dirt off their pants, Estelle paused, holding her head. 

“Are you alright?” Mario asked, offering his hand. Estelle took it after a moment, and nodded to clear his concern.

“Just a little dizzy, that’s all.” She replied as she rose to her feet.

“Would you look at this place!” Luigi called from a few yards away. He had already wandered a bit, looking around the area. “Everything around here is so green!”

Sure enough, as Mario and Estelle glanced around, almost every inch they could see was covered with some sort of foliage--Grass, bushes, ivy, tree leaves, and more. 

“And the trees seem to go on forever…” Estelle mumbled, looking upwards. The canopy only let in just enough light so they could see around themselves, but they had no doubt there were areas where the leaves covered everything in shade.

“Forests are like natural mazes.” Mario commented, recalling his experience with a few himself. “How are we going to find our way around in here?”

“Let’s just start walking and see where it takes us.” Luigi suggested, already leading the way. 

Mario sighed and looked about to say something, but instead offered a shrug to Estelle and began to hurry off after his brother. Estelle followed close behind, taking care not to trip on any hard-to-see roots.

Though the group walked with the intention of finding some form of path or landmark, as they continued on, it soon became apparent that such things were probably not common in this dimension. Just like the small clearing they had landed in, green permeated the area, and a practical sea of trees stretched out before them.

It was after an hour that the three decided to pause and recollect their bearings, not even entirely sure they were making any progress through the thick growth.

“Even if we _are_ making progress, it’ll take us forever to find anything.” Luigi grumbled. “What if the whole dimension is like this?”

“A question I’ve asked myself many times.” Estelle sighed, folding her arms. “It’s not impossible that uninhabited dimensions exist, but to think we would run into one on our first teleport…”

“Also, um, since it’s been on my mind…” Luigi then said, raising a cautious hand. “What if we manage to find a Stability Piece before Fabula does? The odds of us teleporting to the same dimension he’s in are pretty slim, so...”

“Simple: We tell its guardian to keep an extra good eye on it!” Mario replied. “They’ll be able to defend it better if they know a thief is potentially coming.”

“That makes sense. Then they can defend against an attack!” Luigi said with a nod.

“That’s if the guardian doesn’t attack us first.” Estelle cut in, her tone grave. 

The brothers exchanged worried looks, but decided not to speak up against her pessimistic suggestion. They followed her as she decided to resume walking, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary amongst the ever-abundant green.

“So…” Estelle began after a few minutes, breaking the silence. “Why did you want to know if I knew the name ‘Dimentio’ in the first place?”

Mario and Luigi were quiet for a bit, looking between each other to try and figure out the best way to answer her question. It wasn’t that they didn’t trust her, but the full context was still quite a lot to go over.

But… Considering where they were and there was no guarantee they would find anything soon… Perhaps it was for the best.

So they began to explain. They told her the story of how seven years ago, the entirety of reality was almost destroyed by the void. It was only through the efforts of Mario, Luigi, and their friends that they were able to stop the calamity. 

With Mario’s help, Luigi was able to explain how Dimentio had pulled the strings, and seized his chance to take control of the Chaos Heart. Luigi went a bit quiet when he went over how Dimentio had fused with him, but luckily it wasn’t necessary to go into that much detail.

Once the pair had finished, Estelle looked at them with a sad expression in her eyes.

“I see…” She said softly. “Seven years ago… I do recall times being quite tense and chaotic back then… But I did not expect the reason to be that.”

“Not a lot of people know the truth of what happened.” Luigi admitted. “The vague details have been passed around, but for the most part we figured it was best for the whole story to remain… Private. We asked if you had heard the name because your powers were so similar, and…”

“Understandably so.” She said with a nod. “But I have been without my memory for many decades, so I hope it puts you at ease when I say I had no involvement in that event, or with anyone named Dimentio.”

Luigi managed a grateful nod, and then turned back to the direction the group had been walking in. Mario had stepped forward a little bit, leaving the two to talk, but had paused, looking a bit confused.

“Something the matter, bro?” Luigi called.

“I think I see something.” Mario said, pointing off into the distance. 

The trio rushed on, eager to find something other than plants for once. 

Thankfully, Mario’s eyesight had not failed him. Between another clump of trees was an arrangement of stone tiles, leading further into the greenery. 

As they followed the newly-revealed path, things began to get less dense, and spread out to make room for whatever was ahead. The tiles became more numerous, forming a wide plaza, which stretched out for quite a while.

In the distance, covered in moss and thorny vines, the trio could see a large pedestal. On top of the pedestal shone a bright shape, one the brothers recognized from their encounter with Fabula. It was a Stability Piece.

“Well then…” Luigi mumbled. 

“It doesn’t look like Fabula’s around, so let’s see if we can find the guardian.” Mario said, continuing onward. 

It took the group a couple of minutes to walk to the other end of the plaza and reach the pedestal, but when they arrived, Estelle looked around warily.

“This place is as lifeless as ever… Ignoring the plants.” She managed. “Do you really think there’s a guardian around?”

“They can’t be too far, since these things are so important.” Mario said, shrugging towards the Stability Piece. 

“Perhaps if we--HEY!”

Mario laid a hand on the pedestal, brushing up against one of the thorny vines with his glove. As fast as a wink, the vine lashed out, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him away. Before Estelle or Luigi could react, Mario was suddenly hoisted into the air by more vines, making him wince as their thorns dug into his skin.

“WHO DARES INTRUDE UPON MY SACRED GROUND?”

A raspy voice split the air, and from a previously unseen parting in some nearby bushes appeared a round, red sphere. It was mottled with pale spots, and sported large fangs in its maw. There was no mistaking it: This was a Piranha Plant.

The plant extended its stem, rising to its full height as it glared at the trio (at least, they assumed it to be since it lacked eyes). 

“BEGONE, INTRUDERS!” It screeched. “NOBODY TAKES THE STABILITY PIECE WHILE I’M AROUND!”

Flames licked at its mouth, and it suddenly spat a fireball at Estelle and Luigi. Luigi grabbed Estelle by the arm and dragged her away just in time, and the attack burst into sparks upon hitting the ground. Luckily, none of its embers caught on any of the other foliage.

“H-Hold on!” Mario cried from his suspended position. “We’re not here to take it!”

“Y-Yeah! We’re here to warn you! A-About somebody wh-who might take it themself!”

“BAH! I WILL NOT FALL FOR YOUR TRICKS!”

Another vine swept into view, attempting to trip up Estelle and Luigi. Estelle hopped nimbly over it, but Luigi fumbled, tripping and landing face-first onto the ground. As Estelle reached to help him up, the Piranha Plant began to shout again.

“I WILL GIVE YOU ONE MORE CHANCE TO LEAVE, OTHERWISE YOUR RED-CLAD FRIEND HERE WILL BE BURNT TO A CRISP!”

“Please don’t!” Luigi yelped.

“If you would just listen to us!” Estelle insisted, stomping her foot.

The Piranha Plant let out another snarl, but before it could open its maw, a new voice broke the clamor.

“Hey, hey now… There’s no need to resort to that. I think this is all just a big misunderstanding.”

Estelle and Luigi turned to see somebody had appeared behind them, and when they realized who it was, they jumped.

Fabula was towering over the pair, arms raised in a peaceful gesture to try and calm the Piranha Plant down. 

“Y-You!” Mario managed.

“Now, c’mon. Let the fella down and let’s talk this out.” Fabula said, ignoring the other three.

The Piranha Plant stared at Fabula for a moment, clearly befuddled by his sudden appearance. After it took a good, hard look at him, however, it let out a growl, loosening its vines and dropping Mario back to the ground.

“Are you alright, bro?” Luigi asked, hurrying over to support his brother. 

“Y-Yeah, but nevermind that.” Mario said, pointing to Fabula. “There he is!”

“Perhaps I was quick to react…” The Piranha Plant admitted. “But nobody is allowed in this area. I must ask you all to leave, and tell nobody what you saw.”

“You shouldn’t trust this guy.” Luigi insisted, balling his fists. “He’s after the Stability Piece!”

“You can’t prove that.” Fabula said in a gleeful tone. “Who’s to say _you’re_ not after it? All that stuff about warning them, it could very well be a lie, don’t you think?”

“It’s not a lie.” Estelle replied quietly. She was staring at Fabula, giving him an odd look. Was it possible she recognized him? 

“It doesn’t matter who’s lying or not! You all need to leave! NOW!” The Piranha Plant insisted.

“Honestly, you’re hurting my ears.” Fabula sighed, looking at the Piranha Plant with an annoyed expression. “Perhaps we need to do a little yard work around here.”

With that, he snapped his fingers, pink sparks erupting from his claws. The sparks shot towards the Piranha Plant, enveloping it in light.

The trio couldn’t help but stare in shock as they watched the Piranha Plant’s form shrink, smaller and smaller until it was barely the size of a regular flower’s bloom. 

“See? Much better.” Fabula said with a smug grin. “Now, with that out of the way… Yoink!”

As the other three were still frozen in place, Fabula reached over with a free hand and grabbed the Stability Piece from the pedestal. Its light shimmered brightly as he held it aloft, then turned to look at the others.

“Well, that was easier than I thought it would be! So for now, I must say… Ciao!”

A puff of pink smoke, and he was gone.

“N… NO! NO!” The Piranha Plant screeched, its change in size not at all affecting its volume. “NOT POSSIBLE! DOES THAT FEATHERED OAF KNOW WHAT HE’S DONE!?”

“This is bad.” Estelle said to the bros, who nodded in agreement. “We need to try and speak to them…”

The three cautiously approached the Piranha Plant as it was in the throes of its rant, and waited for it to pause so they could get its attention. When it finally looked at them, some form of desperation was apparent on its face.

“You… You know what Stability Pieces are?” It asked them.

“Yes.” Mario replied. “That guy took the one from our dimension as well. We’re trying to stop him before our world collapses!”

The Piranha Plant took a deep breath, then slowly shook its head. It seemed… Morose, now.

“Then I’m afraid you have less time than you did before, now that he has the Piece for this dimension as well.” 

“Why is that?” Estelle asked.

“Stability Pieces don’t just hold single worlds together,” The plant began, looking forlornly to the empty pedestal. “Their power resonates, and helps adjacent worlds remain stable. The more Pieces that are taken from worlds, the more likely a chain reaction will happen, and soon every single world will be at risk of collapsing on itself, Stability Piece or not.”

At this revelation, the group stood in silence. Estelle and Mario seemed absolutely stunned by the information, but Luigi’s focus was elsewhere, his brow furrowed as he was thinking about something.

“Please,” The plant spoke up. “Forgive my hostility earlier. As the guardian of the Stability Piece, it is my duty to make sure nothing happens to it. But I beg of you, find that man and get the Piece back from him!”

“Of course we will.” Mario said with a firm nod. He looked to Estelle and Luigi, but only Estelle gave a nod in agreement, as Luigi was still distracted.

“Bro?” Mario prodded.

“Huh? O-Oh, sorry, I was… Thinking. Fabula, he… He said ‘Ciao,’ again…” Luigi managed.

“You’ll come right back here once you have retrieved the Stability Piece, yes?” The plant asked, ignoring the exchange.

“Yes, we--” Mario began, but was interrupted by Estelle.

“We wish we could, but… I cannot control where I teleport. The odds of us being able to come back here, with the sheer number of worlds out there… I do not place much hope in them.”

The Piranha Plant gave an odd noise in response, obviously not liking that answer. After a moment, it seemed to realize something, however, and waved its leaf to beckon Estelle closer.

“My power is limited, but I might be able to help you in that regard.” It explained as she approached. “It is a simple blessing, but it will give you a strong tie to this dimension, and you should be able to come back here at will.”

With that, it bowed its head towards Estelle, and began to glow a faint green light. The same light began to envelop Estelle, who remained still for fear of disturbing the process. After a few quiet moments, the light faded, and the Piranha Plant raised its head again.

“It is all I can do for now. Please, be on your way and find the Stability Piece.”

Estelle looked herself over, as if expecting some sort of physical change, but relaxed when she found none. Bidding the Piranha Plant farewell, she and the brothers walked away from the plaza, pausing once they were out of sight.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about all of this…” Luigi mumbled, clutching his arms. “Am I the only one who had a strange feeling of deja vu when the plant mentioned worlds collapsing on themselves?”

“It’s definitely a bit familiar… And not in a good way.” Mario agreed. “But let’s not assume the worst just yet.” He set a comforting hand on Luigi’s shoulder.

“Yeah I guess… Though, if we had known the guardians could do what the Piranha Plant did, we probably should have had Miss Gills do it so we could return home easily.” Luigi mumbled.

“True,” His brother agreed. “But we’ll worry about that once our mission is over. For now let’s--”

“AH!” Luigi suddenly shouted, jumping up in surprise and earning concerned looks from the other two.

“The supplies! The ones I went into town for! I dropped them when Estelle showed up and never picked them up! They’re probably still sitting on the ground!!” Luigi explained, looking absolutely devastated.

Mario and Estelle looked at him for a few seconds, confused as to why he was worried about that of all things. Soon, however, the absurdity of his reaction reached them, and the pair began to giggle. It wasn’t long before they were both consumed with loud laughter.

Luigi looked at them confusedly for a moment, then realized how silly he probably sounded, and began to join them. The three laughed together for a few minutes, glad to have something to alleviate the recent stress.

“Are we ready to go?” Estelle asked the pair once everyone seemed to have reasonably calmed down.

The brothers nodded, and took her hands once more. Much like when they left the Mushroom Kingdom, they felt themselves be whisked away, off to the next unknown world.


	3. Overwhelming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter-specific warnings: Panic attacks

__

* * *

_Once upon a time, there was a young girl who had been left behind by her family. Though the town she called her new home was welcoming, from the start it was apparent she was an outsider._

_Her eyes watered in the morning sun, so she was only ever seen at night. Each evening, she would look up at the stars and wonder why she was so different. Her peers were already starting to develop their magic, and she had nothing._

_As she grew older, the other children began to express their distaste for her more and more._

_“You don’t even_ bleed _normally!” They cried, throwing rocks at her. “You’ll never use magic like us!”_

_As much as she hated it, she endured the bullying, locking her pain up on the inside. She had been practicing her magic, after all, and planned to show the whole town she was ready to take on a mask and a mentor._

_But then the day came, and she failed. Not a single spark came out from her._

_The eyes of the crowd pierced her skin, and her heart fell into her stomach._

_From that day forth, she accepted her place as the town failure._

\----

Bright light shone down on the three travelers as they flashed into the new dimension. Not expecting the sudden heat, the group stood still for a moment, collecting their bearings.

“Woah…” Luigi finally said, looking down at their feet. “The sand here is bright blue! I’ve never seen anything like it before!”

Sure enough, the sand under their feet was as blue as the sea. Light winds swept around their feet, picking up particles and sending a faint haze into the air. 

“It’s uh… Still hot like deserts back home, though.” Mario commented, lifting his cap to wipe sweat from his brow. Overalls and a long-sleeved shirt definitely weren’t optimal desert attire. 

“Well, it’s not like we could have predicted this… Next time, I’ll be sure to pack desert wear in our ‘we’re traveling across dimensions’ luggage.” Luigi laughed, but was starting to sweat as well.

Estelle, however, didn’t seem to notice the discomfort of the brothers, and instead continued to stare down at the ground. She watched swirls of sand pick up and drift away, then furrowed her brow.

“Something about this place feels… Familiar.” She finally said, looking to the other two. “Almost like it’s supposed to be welcoming.”

“Could it have something to do with your memories that you’ve lost?” Luigi asked, tilting his head. “It’d be a help if you could remember.”

“Absolutely.” She agreed with a nod. “But _without_ my memories, nothing I can do would really be much help… How are we supposed to find Fabula or the next Stability Piece in a place like this?”

“Well, we could try looking behind us, for one.” Mario said with a small chuckle, drawing the other two’s attention.

He had stepped aside, surveying the area, only to notice something in the distance. Now he pointed at it, gesturing for Estelle and Luigi to come over and look.

Just past a few distant dunes was a set of walls, surrounding what appeared to be a large stretch of buildings. At the center of the buildings was one that rose above them, sharp and angular in form and made out of deep blue stone. 

“Buildings mean people.” Mario said. “Why don’t we head on over?”

With that, the group set off, doing their best to keep up a quick pace despite the bright sun glaring down on them.

“Is something the matter?” Mario asked, noticing that after a while, Estelle had started to bow her head. 

“The bright light is hurting my eyes.” She admitted. “I don’t do well with such--”

Before she could finish speaking, Mario took off his cap and set it on her head. It fit snugly between her horns, and the brim was long enough to cast a shadow over her face.

“There. Now you should be good until we reach the city!” He chuckled, giving a thumbs up.

“I’d say red looks nice on you.” Luigi commented. “A lot better than on _Mario_.” 

He let out a laugh and gave Mario a playful shove with his elbow. Mario stumbled a bit, then laughed as well, reaching to take Luigi under his arm and rubbing his knuckles into his head. When he let go, Luigi pulled away, falling backwards and landing on his back in the sand, sneezing to boot.

Once Luigi got up, however, he noticed Estelle’s expression had changed again, adopting a rather sad look. It was a bit disconcerting, considering she had laughed at Luigi’s misfortune earlier.

“How can the pair of you kid around like that when your home is at risk of destruction?” She asked, not waiting for either of them to prompt her. “Surely you know how serious things are, if what you told me about your previous adventure was true.”

“Well, of course we do.” Mario managed, but couldn’t help feeling a bit ashamed. “But not having time for a bit of fun isn’t good for one’s health.”

“If we keep our nose to the grindstone of seriousness, we’re going to burn out before we know it!” Luigi added.

“But what if these precious few seconds we spend fooling around are the difference between success and failure?” She asked.

Neither of the brothers knew what to say in response to that. She did have a point, after all. So rather than try and push the debate further, they continued walking, letting the silence hang between them.

It was another twenty minutes before they reached a fair distance from the edge of the city, now seeing that the only visible entrance was a large metal gate. In front of the gate stood two figures, standing rigid and holding weapons in their hands. The only sign they had noticed the approaching group was the fact their gaze stood fixed intently on them as they remained absolutely still.

  
  


Estelle and the brothers stopped where they were, just a few yards from the guards. An uneasy silence hung in the air, one neither group seemed eager to break, until the shorter of the guards finally spoke.

“State your names.” 

With a glance between each other so as to bolster their nerves, Mario took a step forward, doing his best to look cordial. “I am Mario. This is my brother, Luigi, and our companion, Es--”

“Estelle.” The larger of the guards suddenly spoke, a look of recognition suddenly spreading on his face. “It’s… It’s you, Lady Estelle! By the Shimmering Sands, she’s really back! Quick, Crumble, open the gate.”

“Huh? Truly, Quake?” The shorter guard blinked in confusion. “I know I was just a child when it happened, but--”

“My memory does not fail me. This is her.” Quake answered solemnly. “After what she has done for our city, she and her companions are more than welcome.”

Before the others could ask just what they were talking about, the guards split off, ducking into doors on either side of the gate. With a great whirring and pounding of gears, the gate slowly began to rise, until it opened wide enough for the trio to pass through. 

Though they waited for the guards to come back out, the pair did not, so with shrugs the group walked into the city, turning and watching the gate close firmly behind them.

Inside the city walls, it was easier to see the neat arrangement of houses, all made with some form of pale blue mineral. It seemed that anything that would normally have been some sort of yellow, brown, or grey from being made with stone was instead a varying shade of blue, likely because that was what the material was like in this world.

But rather than take everything in and try to get their bearings, the brothers turned to look at Estelle, only to find their puzzled expressions mirrored back at them--well, to the best that could be done when one lacks a mouth.

“They knew you.” Luigi finally managed, trying to prompt some form of response from her. All she did was nod, still very much stunned by this information.

“You said this place seemed familiar before,” Mario began. “Did that not ring any bells?”

Estelle merely shook her head, eyes now losing focus on the brothers as she tried to delve back into what little memories she had. She stayed this way, silent, for a few minutes, before finally raising her head and shaking it again. 

“Perhaps we’ll find more information as we explore.” She said quietly, now removing Mario’s hat and handing it back to him.

With Estelle leading the way, the group began to make their way down the wide path that led from the gate. It seemed to go to the center of town, and they figured that was as good a place to look as any.

As they walked, they passed by various inhabitants, all similar-looking to the guards they had seen: Bulbous bodies, in various shades of yellow or orange. Some had small protrusions on their heads, while others had long feelers, almost resembling rabbit ears.

The group tried their best to exchange pleasantries and ask where they were, but whenever somebody laid their eyes on Estelle, they would go quiet, looking at her with shock or fear. It was then they would excuse themself, heading off in another direction before they could be asked anything else.

The closer they got to the city square, the more distant onlookers began to take notice of them. It was obvious tourists of their sort weren’t common, so a few odd glances here and there were to be expected, but as the chatter of folk began to slowly die out, it gradually dawned on the group that everyone was stopping what they were doing to look at them in silence.

The gazes came from everywhere. From people they brushed past, who seemed to be heading home with shopping bags. From friends who had been chatting by the side of the road, only to pause when they spotted them. From people in the windows, enjoying the pleasant view of a street that was now quickly becoming eerily still.

Eventually, Estelle stopped in her tracks. The brothers looked at her with concern, but aside from wide eyes, it was hard to tell what was on her face. Only her knocking knees gave any indication that the attention was getting to her, and her breath quickly became shallow and swift.

“Estelle?” Mario whispered, gently nudging her arm. She didn’t respond, but the trembling in her legs had begun to spread to the rest of her body. 

“ _Stop… Stop looking at me._ ” She mumbled, barely audible. Her eyes were distant and unfocused, obviously addressing the crowd, but seemingly not realizing her voice wasn’t loud enough to hear. 

“H-Hey, Estelle!” Luigi pleaded, now shaking her shoulder a bit. “Is everything--”

“ _I didn’t do anything wrong_ .” She continued, not noticing the shake. “ _It’s not my fault, not my fault I’m…_ ”

The crowd still stared on, but a few individuals had begun to mutter amongst themselves, pointing at Estelle. 

The brothers were about to speak and address the crowd, to maybe ease the tension and help calm Estelle down, when a voice spoke up to their left.

“Quick! Grab Stelly and come over here!”

The brothers could see one of the townsfolk, a short orange one with a long tendril sticking from her head, wave at them from an alley. Deciding it was better than letting whatever was happening come to a head, they took Estelle by the shoulders and carefully pushed her in that direction.

Eventually, Estelle regained enough control to begin walking on her own, but her focus was still shot. She merely followed the others in silence as the citizen guided them through a few different twists and turns, eventually stopping at the back door to a large, but old-looking building.

The figure finally turned around to look at the group, and upon noticing Estelle was no longer frozen in place, smiled widely. Before anyone could speak up, she lunged forward and grabbed Estelle in a big hug.

  
  


“STELLY!” She cried, not caring that her hug knocked Estelle off-balance and sent them tumbling to the ground. “It’s been so-so-soooooo long! And look at you, it’s like you haven’t aged a day!”

Estelle merely stayed where she was, still too hazy from her episode to really take the stranger in. After a minute of staring, she gently pushed her away, standing up and giving her a puzzled look.

“I’m sorry, but… Who are you?” She finally asked.

The figure blinked in surprise, not expecting such a response, before finally taking a good look at Estelle’s face. It was then her eyes went wide, and she let out a soft gasp.

“Oh… Oh no, oh no, oh no! By the Shimmering Sands, you’ve… You’ve lost your mask. I didn’t even realize… Oh, Stelly…”

“Estelle.” Estelle corrected, showing discomfort at the nickname. “Who are you? How do you, and… I guess everyone else here, know my name? And what do you mean by ‘my mask?’”

“I’m Shard.” The stranger answered, looking to the ground sadly. “As for your other questions, well… Those answers are rather long. So perhaps you should come inside.”

She opened the door and ushered the three in, leading them into what appeared to be a children’s daycare. The floors were plush with carpeting, and various blocks and other toys littered the floor. Some children, smaller versions of the various amorphous forms that the natives were, sat at tables or on the ground somewhere, entirely enthralled by whatever book they were reading or game they were playing,

Shard led the three up a set of stairs to the side, where the signs of children quickly faded and grave way to a more managerial structure. A couple of doors had signs indicating their purpose as storage or utility, and the one at the very end of the hall had a nameplate bearing Shard’s name. 

Estelle and the brothers were brought into Shard’s office, and offered a seat on the large couch that sat on one side of the room. Shard excused herself, promising she would begin her explanation as soon as she returned, and left the three there.

“Everything alright?” Mario asked, immediately looking to Estelle. She seemed much calmer than she had earlier, but still had a vacant look in her eyes, like she wasn’t quite over it.

“I think so.” She mumbled. “It’s just… Everyone staring at me. I couldn’t handle it. It felt awful.”

“You said some things while frozen up.” Luigi said. “Any idea what those were about?”

When it became apparent Estelle did not know what he meant, the brothers repeated what she had been mumbling to herself. At this, she clutched her arms, looking caught up in thought once more.

“I remembered something.” She finally said. “Not a scene or any images, but… A feeling. A terrible sense of shame and dread. The crowd… I don’t know what their intentions were, but I was convinced they were judging me… And what they thought wasn’t nice.”

“You can’t know that for sure.” Mario said. “None of them looked angry or anything.”

“But they did seem scared.” Estelle replied gravely. “It doesn’t take a genius to figure out I’m the one they were afraid of.”

“That’s not true at all.” 

Shard had suddenly returned, a tray in her arms that was piled high with fruit and a jug of water. She set it on the table in front of her guests and gestured for them to help themselves, then brought a spare chair over so she could sit facing them all.

“The people here are scared, yes, but… Not of you, Estelle.” She sighed. “Something else is going on, which you are… Coincidentally tied to. Seeing you back while the same thing is happening as before… Emotions are bound to run high.”

“‘As before… ?’” Estelle questioned. She then realized things were getting too complicated, and shook her head. “Please… Start from the beginning.”

Shard nodded, taking a moment to think. Once she decided her words, she cleared her throat and began.

“I suppose the ‘beginning’ would be letting you know the details about your mask. Because, you see, you are part of a race known as Masked Magicians, like our queen. These beings travel worlds, and have very versatile magical skills, but their faces are always covered. Should they lose their cover, they lose their powers… And their memories.”

“Why their memories?” Luigi asked in-between sips of water.

“Apparently, once given a mask to host their power, each Magician essentially bonds with their specific mask. Their memories are imprinted upon it, and then the mask acts as a storage for them. So a Magician can’t just use any old mask, they need to use _their_ mask.” Shard answered.

“And… I once had a mask?” Estelle asked.

“Correct.” Shard answered. “You came here a long time ago, when I was just a child attending this daycare myself. Seventy years have passed… Now I’m in charge of it. But I still remember what you did to help everyone, clear as day.”

“Well, I don’t, so…” Estelle prompted.

“Right, right, sorry.” Shard continued. “Well, a long time ago, you came here with your mentor. Your mentor and the queen were old friends, so it was some sort of… Visit, I guess, to introduce you. But something happened to the city’s subterranean structure, and it released a vicious beast known as the Adobe Dragon.

“Our finest warriors did their best to fend it off, but ultimately, it was you who defeated it. You used your magic to put it to sleep, and the queen was able to lock it away underground with her own powers. Since then, you’ve been regarded as a protector for our kingdom. Why, you probably would have been given knighthood if your mentor hadn’t insisted otherwise.” She finished with a chuckle.

Estelle remained quiet, staring at Shard with a distant look. It was a few tense seconds before she closed her eyes and sighed, shaking her head slowly.

“Just because you tell me this doesn’t mean it’s true. Without my memories, I have no way of knowing if you’re being honest or not. Saving people from a great beast… It doesn’t sound like me, and I hardly have the ability to do so now.”

Shard gave a sad sigh, but smiled, nodding. “I understand. Unfortunately, I don’t have any hard evidence. But… Perhaps King Cleave might have something. If he knew you had returned, I’m sure he’d speak with you.”

“Hold on.” Mario interrupted. “What was that you mentioned about ‘the same thing happening as before?’ Has something happened with the Adobe Dragon?”

Shard gave the group a long look, before looking to the ground in shame.

“Perhaps I said too much. You’re under no obligation to help us again, especially since you don’t have your memories, Estelle. But… If you really want to know, then that’s another thing you should ask the king. After all, I was just a kid when it all happened, it’s not really my place…”

She then stood up, bowing her head.

“I should leave you all to rest. Once you feel up to it, I’ll guide you to the castle.”

Before the others could stop her, she left the room, closing the door firmly behind her.

The three looked at each other uneasily for a moment, unsure what to do next. The Bros. then decided to follow Shard’s advice, and continued to eat.

Estelle, meanwhile, stared at her lap, still mulling this information over. It was certainly a lot to take in, true or not. Just what was she supposed to think? Saving a city from a dragon… It didn’t sound like her at all. And this magic that Shard had mentioned, sleep magic? She didn’t have anything of the sort… How was she supposed to--

“What are you doing.” She asked flatly, being snapped from her thoughts by a piece of fruit being placed against her face.

“Um… You haven’t eaten anything since we started traveling…” Luigi stammered, suddenly realizing how stupid he was being. “But I wasn’t sure how you…”

“Please don’t.” She said firmly, taking his wrist and pulling it away. She wiped the sticky juice off her cheek, then rolled her eyes. “I don’t need to eat the way you do. I’ve managed just fine on my own. Thank you for the concern, but it’s not necessary.”

“Right…” Luigi managed, trying to stifle his embarrassment. 

“In that case,” Mario said. “If we’re ready, should we go see this King Cleave? Perhaps he can give us more information, and maybe even tell us about this dimension’s Stability Piece.”

Once the group was sure they were ready, they left to find Shard, ready for her to escort them to the castle.


	4. The Adobe Dragon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter-specific warnings: Canon-typical action/violence, panic attacks, blood
> 
> Also I forgot to draw Luster's cape cause I was rushing to redo art and make it consistent with what I had written so oops I'll see about fixing it eventually.

* * *

Shard took the group through back roads in order to avoid the thick of the crowd, carefully heading towards the large building in the middle of the city. It wasn’t long before they reached a tall stone wall, rich blue like everything else around them.

“This leads to the castle garden.” Shard explained, nodding to the guard that opened the door for them. “Since you’re here, Estelle, we’re allowed inside no problem.”

They stepped into the garden, immediately in awe at the change of scenery. Back in the streets of the city, there were few plants aside from potted succulents--Understandable, being in a desert. But this place was filled with blooms of various sizes and colors, growing in what seemed to be chaos, until one took a closer look to reveal their meticulous order.

Tall trees stood on the edge, adjacent to the walls, and their leaves were a bright orange, waving gently in the faint wind. The moss and grass that clustered around their roots were also orange, though a bit darker from having been in the shade.

“He’s usually out here around this time…” Shard mumbled, looking about. “Where… Oh! There! Your Majesty!”

She picked up the pace, heading to a line of bushes near the castle wall. There, a figure stood, dressed in a bright blue robe as he gently took some clippers to the bushes and pruned some leaves. 

He looked over to the group at the sound of Shard’s voice, revealing an aged face with a thick, white mustache. He began to smile upon seeing Shard, but when his gaze shifted to Estelle, he paused. Once the group had gotten closer, he gently set the clippers on the ground.

“Your Majesty,” Shard repeated, giving a bow, which the others mirrored. “I apologize for arriving unannounced, but, well, as you can see…”

“Lady Estelle has returned.” The king said calmly with a slow nod. His voice was every bit as aged as his face, slow and careful with little strength in emotion. “Quite the coincidence, is it not?”

“That’s what I said you would explain…” Shard replied. “Please, sire, would you-?”

“Of course.” He answered. “You may go now, Shard.”

Shard gave the others a quick farewell before turning and leaving, and soon it was just Estelle, the brothers, and the king.

“As Shard may have mentioned, I am King Cleave. Of course, given you don’t have your mask, I doubt you would remember me, Estelle.” He explained, guiding the group to a door leading into the castle.

Though the outside walls were a rich blue like the surrounding sand, the inside was quite different. Polished wood and tile made up the walls and floor, coating the area in creamy shades of yellow and white. The group followed a blue carpet to a large set of doors, clearly the entrance to the throne room.

Once inside the room, Cleave left the other three at the foot of the dias, walking up to retrieve something from a small side table by his throne. He then stepped back down, handing Estelle a faded photograph.

The trio looked at the picture, eyes widening when they saw what it was.

  
  


Estelle was there, looking not much different than how she did currently, aside from a pale blue mask covering the top half of her face. Beside her stood a woman with golden hair and pale green skin--a Beanish. Her mask was transparent, and seemed to be made of glass. 

Crouching beside the two was… Fabula, though with his own mask, obviously. Though it obscured his face, there was no mistaking those bright pink feathers. Surrounding the group were an array of children, all looking happy and beaming at the camera. Upon closer inspection, one did seem to look like Shard, though much younger.

“So I have been here before.” Estelle said, looking to Cleave, who nodded. 

“My wife was a close friend to your mentor, Fabula.”

Upon hearing this, Estelle seemed to shrink into her shoulders a bit. 

“Fabula… He…” She tried to say, but couldn’t bring the words out. 

“Fabula has lost his mask as well.” Mario supplied, seeing how bothered Estelle was getting. “Now, without his memories, he’s going after Stability Pieces for some reason.”

At this, Cleave seemed surprised, letting out a small gasp. 

“Fabula is… ? Even without his memories, I find it… I find it hard to imagine him doing such a thing. He’s a kind man to the core, I assure you. The only reason he could be doing this… I would imagine it is because he’s unaware of the potential consequences.”

“It doesn’t change the fact he’s doing it.” Estelle said, a cold tone entering her voice. “We need to stop him before it’s too late. Which brings us to why we needed to speak to you in the first place.”

“Do you know where the Stability Piece of this dimension is?” Luigi asked. “You’ll need to keep it safe… In case he comes here.”

Cleave gave a slow nod, then looked to a silent guard on one side of the room. He gave an odd signal with one of his ears, then turned back to the group as the guard left.

It wasn’t long before the guard returned, another figure trailing behind them, much shorter than them. He wore a purple cape and had a prominent overbite, but what drew the trio’s attention was the shining piece that hung around his neck.

  
  


“This is Prince Luster.” Cleave introduced the younger one, who seemed indifferent towards the strangers. “The royal family has been guarding the Stability Piece for generations. Normally, we would wait until it would be time for him to take the throne to give it to him, but…”

“This is all I have left of mom!” The prince suddenly huffed. “I’m not letting it go!”

Cleave merely sighed, his ears drooping slightly.

“Seven years ago, during a time of great chaos… The Adobe Dragon escaped from its binds. My wife, Queen Shear, attempted to seal it away again, but… It proved to be too much. With the Adobe Dragon loose under the city, everyone is too scared, and we couldn’t even gather a team to retrieve...” He trailed off, eyes losing focus as he frowned.

Mario and Luigi exchanged looks, feeling a bit guilty. So more people had been affected by those times than they had initially thought…

“I don’t think it’s quite safe, having the Piece in the hands of a child…” Estelle admitted in a low voice, ignoring Luster sticking his tongue out at her. “Is there any way he would part with it, at least until we can stop Fabula?”

“Get back mom’s mask.” Luster replied without hesitating. “It should still be down there somewhere.”

“Luster,” Cleave chided. “It is far too dangerous. Estelle no longer has her powers, and--”

“No mask, no Stability Piece!”

The trio looked between each other, unsure what to do. Estelle folded her arms, letting out a sigh, when Mario stepped forward.

“We’ll see what we can do!” He said.

“Excuse me?” Luigi and Estelle said in unison. Neither of them had been particularly keen to do such a thing, and to have Mario speak for them was certainly a surprise.

“We can’t just leave a monster like that running around under the city!” Mario explained. “Besides, Luigi and I have tackled our fair share of big reptiles!”

The other two looked at Mario with concerned expressions, but then Luigi gave a shrug and nodded.

“I suppose it wouldn’t be the hardest thing in the world.” He managed, doing his best to give a light smile. “So yeah, let’s do it!”

Estelle didn’t seem entirely convinced, and merely sighed. She did not give any objections, however, and seemed to be willing to go along with the brothers for now.

“Well, the help is most appreciated…” Cleave began, a bit of doubt entering his tone. “But the caverns below the city are dangerous for the unprepared. If you truly wish to go down there, you will need a guide. I will unfortunately not be of any help in that regard…”

“Could we ask around the city, perhaps?” Mario asked.

“I don’t see why not.” The king replied, though he gave an anxious glance to Estelle. “Just… Be cautious how you make your search.”

“How come?”

“As I mentioned, the Adobe Dragon broke free seven years ago. During these years, it has likely needed to regain its power, but everyone fears the moment it will rise from below. We are… Not well-equipped to handle such a thing. If people hear you are going down to where the creature lurks, they may very well avoid you.”

It was with that that Cleave excused himself, guiding Luster from the room and leaving the group to go on their way. The three stood awkwardly in the room for a moment, then began to walk towards the exit, quietly discussing how they should go about things.

It didn’t take long for them to exit the castle and reach the liveliest place in the city--a large market square full of natives. Through the crowds, the trio could even see a few other travelers, sticking out in the sea of yellow and orange. 

Deciding it was best not to draw attention to themselves, however, they found a quiet corner between a few buildings and continued the topic at hand: How would they find somebody to help guide them under the city?

“As Cleave said, we can’t very well just ask around.” Estelle grumbled. “People will get scared, and probably avoid us more than anything.”

“Maybe we could snoop around and see if anyone says something about the caverns?” Luigi suggested.

“Perhaps, but there’s no guarantee, especially since people are anxious about the dragon.” Mario sighed as he adjusted his hat. “Maybe we could find somebody--”

“Um, excuse me?” A voice cut in, causing the three to look in its direction.

One of the citizens had stopped in their walking, and looked at the three in awe. Once their eyes locked on Estelle, however, their expression immediately changed to one of expectancy.

“Lady Estelle,” they began. “You’re… You’re going to help defeat the Adobe Dragon again, aren’t you?”

“Is that Lady Estelle?” Another voice cried, and another citizen stepped forward. 

Before Estelle could respond, more citizens broke away from their paths to move forward, all staring at her and asking for her help. As the crowd grew, so did the volume and urgency of their pleas.

_“P-Please! Lady Estelle! You have to!”_

_“You did it last time, you can do it this time!”_

_“We’re all so scared, please help us!”_

“H-Hey! Everybody calm down!” Luigi urged. He and Mario attempted to put themselves between Estelle and the crowd, but were easily shoved aside and onto the road. Soon, Estelle had vanished into the bulk of bodies.

Estelle was overwhelmed. Though normally not claustrophobic, the weight of everyone crowding around her made her feel as if her air was running out. They reached for her arms, pleads rising in volume when she didn’t respond. She did her best to pull away, but there was nowhere to run to. All she could do was curl up into a ball on the ground.

“SAVE US!”

“IT CAN ONLY BE YOU!”

 _Stop it._ She thought. _Stop saying those things. They’re not true. I’m not capable. I can’t do anything, why do you think I can save you all?_

Where were these thoughts coming from? They sounded loud in her head, to the point she wasn’t sure if they were just her thoughts or if she was yelling them at the crowd. If it were the latter, it didn’t seem to dissuade them.

“Everyone, stop!” Mario said, trying to push some of the people away. The crowd didn’t seem to diminish in size, however, and he and Luigi could no longer see Estelle.

**_“HEY!!”_ **

A new voice, harsh and shrill, broke over the crowd’s clamor. It actually made everyone freeze, and several pairs of eyes shifted to the direction it came from.

A figure in a purple cloak had walked up to the commotion, and lowered his hood to give the crowd a nasty scowl. The brothers could clearly see that he was not a native, as he resembled a bipedal cat with thick, lavender fur. 

“Y’all should be ashamed.” He scoffed. “Crowding around a girl like that ‘cause yer desperate an’ scared. Can’t ya see she doesn’t take too kindly to it? How about y’all back off and go on home?”

His words finally seemed to snap the crowd to their senses, as they looked among themselves with shameful expressions. At long last, they dispersed, bowing their heads and avoiding eye contact with Estelle as they mumbled apologies. 

The brothers hurried over to Estelle, who was still curled up on the ground, and stood by patiently for her to come back to her senses. After some time taken to catch her breath, Estelle managed to stand up, looking rattled but otherwise okay.

  
  


“Y’all right, dearie?” The stranger asked, stepping towards the group. “They didn’t trample ya or anything, did they?”

“I’m fine…” She said, though her tone didn’t assure Mario or Luigi. The stranger seemed satisfied, however, as he gave a light nod before introducing himself.

“Name’s Ignis. Guess I’m a traveler like you, you could say. And well, I couldn’t stand by seeing a scene like that, so I had to step in.”

“Thank you.” Estelle replied. “But it looks like finding the kind of person we’ll need for our task will be difficult…” 

“Task? What kinda task?” Ignis asked, his ears sticking up.

“Well…” Luigi began, rubbing at his arm. He then quickly explained their situation to Ignis, who listened intently. He seemed surprised to hear they had been requested by the king himself, but didn’t pry too much about that. Luckily, Luigi was able to explain things without revealing the involvement of the Stability Piece, and instead framed it as if retrieving the mask was their only goal.

“Well, why didn’t ya say so? I could help ya!” Ignis said, beaming. “I may not be a native, but I have been around these parts for a while. Poked my head down into the caverns a few times, as well. Seems luck is on yer side, since ya ran into me!”

“Really?” Mario asked incredulously. “Th-That’s actually a great help! Are you really willing to--”

“Of course, of course!” Ignis cut in, nodding vigorously. “Need an experienced spelunker if you want to wander around down there without getting caught by the Adobe Dragon, after all!”

The trio were relieved to find somebody to help, but Ignis explained they would need supplies before heading down. 

“I can get my hands on enough for all of us, but it’ll take time. Is there any place you can wait while I go do that?”

“Well… There’s the daycare, I think. Shard might not mind letting us stay for a little while longer.” Estelle suggested. “Do you know where it is?”

“Of course, of course! In that case, you head on over, and I’ll meet up with ya once I’m done prepping. Steel yer nerves, it’s dark down there, ha-hah!”

  
  


Shard did indeed let the group stay in the daycare for a while longer, though this time they insisted on helping out with any work that needed to be done. While Luigi helped prepare snacks, Mario played games with the children and Estelle patiently guided them in arts and crafts.

“Too much glue will soak the paper, you need to do little dollops and--Oh, okay.” 

The child Estelle had been instructing took off from the table the second Shard announced food was ready, leaving their mess of paper, glue, and glitter behind. As the kids swarmed Luigi, who was holding the tray, Estelle did her best to clear up scraps, pausing when Shard approached her.

“Could I speak to you privately?” Shard asked, a soft smile on her face. 

Estelle was confused, but nodded, leaving the scraps she had picked up on the table and following Shard back to her office upstairs. 

“This is going to sound… Really stupid. And awkward.” Shard admitted after closing the door. Estelle felt a tad nervous, but then saw that Shard’s face was flushed, meaning she was very much in the same boat. But… why?

“But I think you’re wonderful. And seeing what you could do way back then, it… It never left my mind. And I know I don’t have as long of a lifespan as you, so it makes stuff more complicated, but I’m worried this’ll be my only chance so--” She suddenly took Estelle’s hand, looking into her eyes.

“I… I think I like you. A lot.”

A silence filled the air, as Estelle was trying to process what she had just heard. Shard… Liked her? Well, sure she liked Shard too, she was a good friend, even if Estelle hadn’t known her for so long, but why was she so flustered with saying that, and why the need to say it in pri-- _Oh._

“Oh.” Was all that came out of her mouth. She stared at Shard, dumbfounded and unsure how to process this realization. In all her years traveling worlds, she hadn’t really made many friends, let alone anyone she saw in a romantic light. Now that she was on a journey with Mario and Luigi, the concept of romance was as far away from her mind as possible.

“‘Oh?’” Shard echoed, her face seeming to fall a bit. It was then Estelle panicked, not wanting to give her the wrong impression.

“N-No, I mean… It’s not that--Well, I don’t know if I--It’s just--” Estelle stammered, pulling her hand away. “I-I’m sure if I had more time, I could… But… Without my memories, the idea of it doesn’t really sound…”

“Oh dear. You’re right. I completely forgot. How selfish of me…” Shard mumbled, covering her face.

“N-No, you’re… Shard, you’re not selfish.” Estelle spoke up, putting a gentle hand on Shard’s shoulder. “It must have taken a lot of strength to admit this. But… Things are complicated for me, so… I don’t feel whatever answer I give would be appropriate right now…”

Shard lowered her hands, surprised at Estelle’s words. After a moment of thought, she nodded, a small smile forming on her face.

“No, I get it now. You’re right. In that case… I’ll wait for a response until after you’ve gotten your mask. And whatever your answer… I’m glad to at least know you.” 

She then took Estelle into a hug, which Estelle returned without hesitance. The pair of them stood like that for a moment, before finally releasing and heading back down to the main room of the daycare.

“The kids sure are, uh, lively…” Mario commented, vigorously rubbing at his shirt with a towel. Judging by the dark stain on his front, the children had spilled some of their juice on him, forcing him to hurriedly clean it up.

“You learn quickly to never get between them and their snacks.” Shard chuckled.

“Noted."

Luigi was about to open his mouth and say something, when somebody came shuffling through the door, a large pack on his back.

“Oh, Ignis!” Estelle said, hurrying over to assist him with carrying what looked to be a heavy weight.

“It took some doing, but I’ve got supplies for everybody.” Ignis managed as he set the pack down on the floor. “Headlamps, harnesses, and excavation tools if need be. That should be enough to make a decent headway down there.”

“Well, that’s great!” Luigi said with a wide grin. “Will we be able to head out soon?”

“As soon as y’all want.” Ignis said with a nod. “The nearest entrance is pretty close, and I’m sure King Cleave’s pulled some string to allow us down there without any trouble.”

“Then let’s go.” Estelle said with a nod. 

  
  


* * *

As Ignis had predicted, getting into the underground tunnels was simple enough. Once the brothers and Estelle explained that Ignis was their guide, the guards allowed them into the craggy entrance that slowly sloped downwards.

Using their headlamps to read it, Ignis spread a map out for the group to go over.

“Now, there’s all kinds of tunnels that branch off and twist and turn here and there,” He began, trailing a claw over the parchment. “But this map details the main cavern system and the path that will lead us to where the Adobe Dragon was sealed away. If the mask is anywhere, it’s probably around there.”

“How long of a walk do you think it would be?” Estelle asked. The map didn’t have any sense of scale, so it was hard to estimate how long their mission would be.

“Hopefully not more than an hour or so.” Ignis said as he rolled the map up and tucked it away. “But that’s provided nothing has happened to the caves with the dragon running about down here. It’s possible it’s messed with the stability of some tunnels, and the debris has changed some routes around.”

“Well, then we’d better get going.” Luigi mumbled. “The sooner we find out what the situation is like, the better we can work to fix it.”

The rest of the group nodded and began to tread deeper into the caverns. The tunnel entrance started small, only wide enough for them to walk two by two, but soon spread out so that they had more than enough space to keep pace with one another.

“How come the Adobe Dragon hasn’t come up to the surface yet?” Mario asked after they had been walking in silence for a while.

“The best bet I have is that it’s regaining its strength.” Ignis said thoughtfully. “Even with the chaos that made it easier to break its seal, it likely still took a lot of energy.”

“So it’s only a matter of time until it escapes the caves, then.” Estelle mumbled.

“Then we should try and take care of it while we’re down here!” Mario insisted, already feeling his heroic instincts kick in. “If it’s still weak from breaking its seal, now is the best chance we have!”

Both Estelle and Ignis gave noises of concern at this, then exchanged looks when they realized they were thinking the same thing.

“I doubt I can stop ya, but I’m not really sure how much help I’d be.” Ignis said. “Ain’t exactly experienced in the whole fighting department…”

“And you already know the limits of my magical capabilities.” Estelle sighed. “If you ask me, we should focus on getting the mask, making sure Cleave knows what to expect, and then continue trying to stop Fabula.”

Ignis raised an eyebrow at this, hearing some things that had not been mentioned to him before, but didn’t say anything, apparently figuring the group had their reasons. 

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” Mario said with a casual shrug. “I’m sure Luigi and I can handle it if need be.”

“H-hey, I never said anything about helping you fight!” Luigi yelped.

Ignis let out a chuckle and focused back on the path ahead of them. 

“Shouldn’t be too long now. Path’s been surprisingly clear so far. If we’re lucky, we can get in and out without even seeing a single scale of the dragon.”

“You remember what the mask looks like, right?” Luigi asked, to which Mario and Estelle noded. A simple glass mask, looking almost like a pair of folded wings. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too hard to find--and still in one piece.

After a few more minutes, the group entered a much larger area, the walls of the tunnel spreading out to form a large cavern. The ceiling rose higher than they could see with their headlamps, and large chunks of rock littered the floor, some almost as large as they were.

“It certainly looks like it’s seen better days…” Estelle tutted. “How will we find the mask in all this rubble?”

“Best we can do is split up and scour thoroughly.” Ignis advised. “Keep yer eyes peeled, and be mindful of the bugs and various other critters that scuttle around here.”

Seeing no better option, the other three agreed, and everyone spread out in their own direction, looking carefully around every rock for signs of the mask. 

Estelle did her best to look around carefully, shining her lamp in various locations to see if the mask would reflect it. Much like aboveground, the stony material of the cave was a dark blue, almost black, in coloration. Though Estelle could see quite well without the assistance of the lamp, all the colors blending together was making it hard to focus.

“Anything yet?”

Ignis’ voice piped up from a few feet away, making Estelle jump a little. When she realized it was only him, she breathed a sigh of relief, then shook her head.

“Figures. Though we only just started, so…” He mumbled as he walked up to her. He glanced around, but seemed a bit distracted, like he wanted to ask her something.

“Well, we did say we would split up.” She managed, gesturing off to the faint beams that indicated where Mario and Luigi were looking. 

“Y-Yeah, I know, but… I wanted to talk to you about something. You’re quite the curious gal, after all.”

Estelle did her best to hide a sigh, wanting to remain focused on the task at hand, but looked expectantly at him. 

“It’s just… I’m a bit of a traveler of worlds, and never have I seen anyone like you.” Ignis went on. “And I’ve seen all sorts of people. Just what is your deal?” He asked.

“I don’t know.” She said, and it was the truth. “I don’t have my memories. I barely know _who_ I am, so expecting me to know _what_ I am right now is a pretty tall order.”

“Fair point.” He conceded. “But you said you could use magic, right? What kind?”

“Kind?” She echoed, now turning back to the rubble, deciding to multitask.

“Most magical beings specialize in certain types of magic. Like, I can use fire! Pretty fitting, given my name. So… What do _you_ do?”

Ignis had resumed his search as well, though remained within conversation distance of Estelle. 

“Well, I doubt teleportation is my specialty.” She admitted. “According to the people here, I can use sleep magic, but I’ve… Never really tried.”

“Wanna try now?”

“Huh?”

Ignis looked at her with a small smile, giving off the air of somebody who was eager to help. While it was a nice sentiment, Estelle couldn’t help but give a noise of uncertainty, especially since they had other things to do at the moment.

“Maybe later… When we’re not searching for an important item under the impending threat of a stone dragon showing up and attacking us all.” 

“But wouldn’t ya like to have some sort of defense if it does show up?” He prodded.

He did have a point…

“How do you suppose I go about it, then?” She asked as she swept her light over the ground in front of her, still determined to focus on their main objective.

“Magic is a focus of energy. By drawing from yer own internal power, it manifests in various ways depending on your focus.” Ignis began, surprising Estelle with his educational tone. “All ya need to do is find where yer power lies, and try to draw it out.”

“Sounds simple enough.” 

“Perhaps you can try it when we have time. Sleep magic is a pretty interesting power to have.” he chuckled.

“Though it doesn’t sound very versatile… In any case, I--” 

Estelle stopped speaking, the light from her lamp falling on something shiny and causing her to pause. She squinted for a moment, then moved a bit closer, unable to believe her luck.

On the ground, just under the cover of an overhanging rock, was a glass shape. It looked just large enough to cover one’s face, and even had a pair of holes for eyes. It was the mask!

“Hey, ya found it!” Ignis cried with delight. “That’s great! Let’s go tell the bros!”

With a nod, Estelle followed Ignis towards the lights that were Mario and Luigi, and the pair were soon able to get the brothers’ attention.

“Let’s hurry and get out of here.” Luigi urged, rubbing at his nose. “This dry air is getting to me.”

Mario shot him a concerned look, but his brother had already started walking back towards the cavern entrance, ready to leave. The other three followed, but it wasn’t long before Ignis stopped in his tracks, ears twitching.

“Something the matter?” Mario asked, looking back at him.

“I hear something.” Ignis replied, face paling. “We should hurry up and--”

Before he could finish, an ear-splitting screech erupted through the cave. It shook the walls, causing rocks to rattle on the ground and splinters of stone to fall from the ceiling. Even after the initial sound faded, its echo bounced around like mad, causing everyone’s hair to stand on end.

A colossal thump sounded in front of the group, the impact pushing them back and sending dust blowing past them. All four lights swept up to meet a pair of bright blue eyes leering down at them. Once the dust had cleared, the sinuous form of a dragon became visible, and it was between them and the exit.

Everyone scrambled back a bit, fear overtaking them. The Adobe Dragon was right there. What were they to do?

“There’s no other way out of this.” Mario finally managed, steeling his nerves. “We have to fight it.”

Estelle backed away, intending to give the others some space, but couldn’t help but notice that the dragon’s eyes were fixed on her. Its gaze was boring straight through her, until she moved her arm, and noticed that the dragon’s eyes twitched. It wasn’t staring at her--it was staring at the _mask_.

“It wants the mask.” She said. “I need to keep it away.”

“Find some place to hide, then.” Mario said. “We’ll deal with it!”

“This way.” Ignis said, suddenly turning and taking Estelle’s free hand. He used his other hand to switch the lamps on their heads off, then pulled Estelle deeper into the cave.

The dragon gave a loud growl, attempting to dart after the pair, but was blocked by Mario and Luigi moving to stop it. Sparks of electricity and flames appeared around the brothers’ hands as they readied themselves.  
  


Though Ignis had pulled Estelle away, she eventually started leading him, as her eyesight was much better in the dark. As the sounds of combat began to fade, she found a large pile of boulders, and dragged Ignis into the crevice they formed.

“Why is it after the mask?” She asked in between heavy breaths. 

Ignis also looked worn from running, but took a moment to reorient himself before answering, peeking warily out to watch the fight in the distance.

“Ya said the queen was the one who sealed the dragon away, right? If this mask is such an important keepsake, maybe it’s got some sort of residual power tied to it that’s keeping the dragon down here.”

It seemed to be a reasonable enough theory, but they couldn’t spend time trying to figure out if it was the case or not. Not only did they need to escape the cave, they also had to help the brothers fight against the beast.

“If only I could use that sleep magic…” she sighed. 

Ignis continued to stare out for a bit, then turned back to look at Estelle. He furrowed his brow before speaking.

“Well, can’t say I’m particularly good at giving lessons… And this is hardly an ideal learning environment… But let’s see what we can do about that. Remember what I said about focusing?”

  
  


“This is going nowhere, fast!” Luigi cried, devastated that his Thunderhand bolts were bouncing off the dragon’s scales. “We’re not even making a dent!”

“It’s moving too much for me to jump on it, too.” Mario said through grit teeth. “How are we supposed to do this… ?”

“HEY! STONEY SNAKE FACE!” Ignis’ voice cried out.

The brothers glanced to see that Ignis and Estelle had returned, the girl looking at the dragon while in a defiant stance. She gripped the mask in her hands and held it over her head, doing her best to get the dragon’s attention.

As soon as it saw what she had, the dragon fixed its attention on Estelle, glaring at the transparent mask in her hands. With a growl, it raised itself up to loom over her, blue eyes locked on its target.

“Now, Estelle!” Ignis hissed.

Estelle took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes, looking as if she was doing her best to concentrate. A faint blue shimmer surrounded her, and her hair rose a little from some unseen draft. Even as the dragon bared its fangs, she stood tall, concentrating her power.

“W-wait, it’s not safe!” Luigi gasped.

“Hold on!” Ignis snapped, gesturing for the brothers to keep still. “Let her try!”

The shimmer around Estelle had grown stronger, a faint air current being whipped up and causing dust to ripple outwards. It was an impressive show of power, much more charged with energy than her teleportation.

The dragon, however, was not bothered. With another screechy growl, it lunged, jaws opened wide to snap at her and the mask. 

Everything moved too fast to process. Estelle felt her heart drop into her stomach as she realized the magic wasn’t working. The brothers could only watch in shock as the dragon whipped toward her, too fast for either of them to stop it.

Then suddenly, the dragon was on fire. Bright blue flames covered its form, and it roared in pain, writhing away as it recoiled. 

Estelle blinked dust out of her eyes, seeing that she was now on the ground and Ignis was standing over her, having pushed her out of the way. His paws were covered in the same blue flames, and a furious scowl was etched into his face.

“Plan B then. Boys, you get her out of here, I’ll handle the overgrown garter!” He growled.

But before Mario and Luigi could reach Estelle, a taloned paw reached out and grabbed her, lifting her out of reach of the others. The dragon, now recovered from its burns, screeched angrily at Ignis.

“Let me go!!” Estelle cried, desperately pounding at the dragon’s paw to no avail. 

“Not good, not gooooood!” Luigi wailed, legs trembling and threatening to give out from under him.

“What do we do now?” Mario asked Ignis, who seemed at a loss for words.

“Um… Well… I….” Ignis mumbled.

As the other three panicked, Estelle clenched her eyes in frustration. She shouldn’t have even tried anything. She just _failed_ ! Like she _always_ did!

… Wait, always? How did she know that? She’d never been in this kind of situation before, let alone tried to use her magic like this… 

No. She couldn’t let those thoughts distract her. She had to try again. If she couldn’t put the dragon to sleep, maybe she could try something else.

The mask in her hand began to feel… Tingly? She looked at it, confused, but it didn’t seem to change in any visible way. However, as she gripped it, she could feel energy starting to flow through her. A sense of warmth and assurance reached her, as if somebody was giving her encouragement from somewhere she could not see.

With her free hand, Estelle made a fist. The power coursing through her began to gather within it, and with a cry, she slammed it down onto the dragon’s wrist.

**_CRACK._ **

A deep fracture split right through the stone. The dragon screamed again, flailing about from the pain. With the hasty movement, the fracture began to widen, until the entire paw of the dragon fell off, still clutching Estelle tightly.

The paw shattered into dozens of pieces upon hitting the cave ground, burying Estelle in rubble. 

Wasting no time, Ignis fired another few bolts of flames at the dragon, making its cries of pain louder and more desperate. Cracks began to spread from the dragon’s arm down to its body, spidering out until its whole form was covered in them.

It was then Mario took his chance. With a powerful leap off of a nearby boulder, he came down upon the dragon full-force, digging his boots into the top of its head.

With one last roar, the dragon seized up. Then, it began to crumble apart, the blue flames dying out as it was reduced to nothing but shards of stone. Dust and ashes rose up from the remains, and soon even the echoes of the dragon’s cries were gone.

“Estelle!” Luigi cried, hurrying over to the pile she had been buried in. He began to dig away at the pieces, looking for any sign of her.

Mario and Ignis went over to help, and soon she was uncovered. She stood up shakily, covered in dust and hair messed up, but still gripped the mask, which was undamaged.

“Thank goodness we’re all alright…” Ignis sighed with relief. “Can’t say a fight was what I was hoping for, but still…”

“I thought you said you weren’t experienced in fighting.” Mario managed with a slight smile.

“Well, y-yeah, cause I had never _fought_ before!” Ignis said, fur still standing on end. 

“Well, I’d say you’re a natural. That fire magic of yours was really helpful!”

Ignis’ eyes went wide and a bright blue flush filled his face, forcing him to look away and hide his bashfulness. 

“If we’re all okay,” Estelle cut in, focused as always. “We should head back and deliver this to the king.”

“Right, right.” Ignis said with a nod. “Follow me, everyone. Let’s get out of these dumb tunnels!”

  
  
  


It didn’t take long for the group to exit the caverns and hurry back to the castle, where King Cleave and Luster greeted them.

“You all certainly look like you’ve had better days…” He said wryly. “But I take it things went well?”

Estelle nodded, and walked up to him, offering the mask that they had found in the depths. Cleave took it gingerly, as if he couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Yes… This is it. This is my wife’s mask.” He managed after a moment. “Finally, after all this time, we have a proper memento…”

“It was definitely a difficult task. But we’re glad to have helped.” Mario said, nodding.

“I wish mom could’ve been here… But this’ll have to do.” Luster grumbled a bit. “Hey, mister cat guy, you weren’t with these three originally. Did you help them out or something?”

“Er… Yes.” Ignis managed, apparently not appreciating the nickname. “I helped them explore the caves.”

Luster walked up to Ignis, having to tilt his head back so he could look him in the eye.

“Well, then, thank you. ‘Cause of you guys, we got mom’s mask back.” He said. It was definitely a change from the crabby child they had seen earlier.

Ignis gave a small chuckle, but then frowned, gaining a sad expression.

“In all honesty, ya really shouldn’t be thanking me. After all, I’ve been lying to you all this whole time.”

“Huh?”

With a quick and fluid motion, Ignis hooked a claw around the necklace Luster was wearing, slicing its thin string and grabbing the Stability Piece that dangled from it. As everyone gasped, he leapt back a bit, smiling once more--though there was a cold feeling behind it now.

“I was expecting this disguise to be a little too obvious, but wouldn’t ya know it, it worked!”

A puff of pink smoke rose around him, and soon the towering form of Fabula stood in his place. The magician grinned, spreading his arms out and giving a small bow.

“Fabula!” Mario cried.

“Yep, indeedy!” Fabula laughed. “Now that’s three pieces for me and zero for you! I’d better get going and--”

“Fabula, why?”

King Cleave’s voice was loud, but trembling. He looked at Fabula with disbelief for a moment before continuing to speak.

“Why are you doing this? What happened to your mask? You’re risking so many worlds by taking the Pieces, and you’ve even gone so far as to trick your own student!”

“Student?” Fabula said, eyes slowly widening. He had gone still at Cleave’s questions, and looked like he would start shaking with fear at any second.

“Stop this and stay with us.” Cleave continued. “We’ll get you your memories back. Just stop taking the Stability Pieces!”

“I…”

Fabula stared around the room, the feathers on top of his head starting to droop. He seemed like he wanted to say something, but instead bit his lip. Before anyone could move, another puff of smoke covered him, and when it cleared, he was gone.

The silence that hung in the air afterwards was heavy and thick with tension. Nobody knew what to say, and Fabula had escaped with another Stability Piece.

Cleave gave a haggard sigh, then turned back to the group. He seemed about to speak again, but his voice caught in his throat when he laid eyes on Estelle.

“Lady Estelle,” He managed, face turning pale. “Are you alright?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t I…” She started, but then looked down at where he was pointing. Trailing down her leg was a stream of bright pink, coming from a wound somewhere under her skirt that had gone unnoticed until now. Some fragment from the dragon must have lodged itself in her leg, being agitated by the movement of her walking.

Though Mario and Luigi yelped in surprise and tried to ask what happened, Estelle didn’t hear any of it. Her hearing had gone faint and tinny, and her focus was elsewhere, becoming oblivious of the world around her.

 _“You don’t even_ bleed _normally!”_ A voice echoed in her mind, sending a pang of shame through her chest. Who said that? What were they talking about?

“I’ll be fi…” She tried to speak, raising her head to look at the others. She was unable to finish her sentence, however, as the floor came rushing up to meet her. 

* * *

Fabula’s return to the dimension Dimentio was hiding in was marked with less flair this time around. Once the smoke had cleared, he merely stood there, looking lost in thought as his free hands fiddled with a few feathers on his chest.

By the time Dimentio had arrived, Fabula’s plumes were blue, and hung limp on his body. He gave up the Stability Piece without comment.

“Is something the matter?” Dimentio asked.

“When I go out to look for Stability Pieces…” Fabula began, avoiding Dimentio’s eyes. “I feel drawn to certain dimensions. And this time, this world I went into… I ran into some trouble again. Those three I had mentioned before were there.”

At this, Dimentio’s eyes narrowed.

“The ones in red and green, and the girl, yes?” He asked.

Fabula nodded. “And before I left… I was told something. Something about having a… Student. I’m beginning to think that… What if the one I’m drawn to is that girl? And… She’s my student?”

Dimentio’s mouth became a fine line as he thought how to respond to this. He had hoped to orchestrate things without too much interference from other parties, but it seemed he would need to fix some things.

“Have I not told you the true intentions of those two in red and green?” He finally asked, a slight frown coming to his face. “I didn’t want you to be concerned, but it seems you must know now.”

Fabula perked up a little, curious. What did Dimentio mean?

“Those two are horrific fiends.” Dimentio spat. “They cause trouble wherever they go, under the guise of _helping_ people. If they’re looking for Stability Pieces as well, then I have no doubt their intentions are not kind.”

“That’s awful… And the girl? Estelle?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she was some form of hostage.” Dimentio sighed, looking to the ground. “Using her powers for their own gain… And if she truly is your student, they are likely responsible for her losing her own mask, much like you have.”

Fabula stood up straight, his feathers starting to puff up a bit again.

“What?! That’s awful! We need to stop them right now! We have to save Estelle, and--”

Dimentio raised a hand to silence Fabula, and shook his head slowly.

“I agree that they should be stopped, but we must consider our actions carefully, Fabula. If we charge in recklessly, who’s to say she won’t get hurt?”

“That’s… A good point.” Fabula mumbled, feathers drooping once more.

“However,” Dimentio continued. “If they are under the impression you are working alone, then perhaps we have a chance. If you continue looking for Stability Pieces, I will do what I can to help Estelle escape the clutches of those two.”

“But what about your own strength?”

“If I do things properly, I will not have to spend too much energy. That is the whole point of stealth, after all. I can leave as soon as you do.”

“Th… Thank you so much, sir.” Fabula managed, his voice shaking a bit. “I owe you so much… My life, even.”

And with that, he teleported away.

Once he was gone, Dimentio sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, frustrated that things were getting complicated. Hopefully the lie would string Fabula along, but now he needed to figure out how to ‘save’ Estelle…

Or perhaps…

His eyes lit up as an idea came to mind, and his signature smile spread across his face. 

He had such an evil idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shard, very much a big lesbian: i like you a lot  
> Estelle, bi but focused on other things: *knuckles voice* oh no


	5. Oh No

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter-specific warnings: HEAVY blood/violence, visual depiction of stabbing/impalement, attempted murder, kidnapping, scopophobia
> 
> BEFORE ANYONE SAYS ANYTHING.  
> THE CHAPTER IS /LITERALLY/ TITLED 'OH NO.'

* * *

Estelle woke to find herself in a plush bed, much like she had when she had arrived in Toad Town. Vaguely recalling the fight with the Adobe Dragon and the subsequent wound she suffered, she sat up and gently patted her leg where the wound had been.

Through her skirt, she could feel a set of bandages wrapped around her leg, and the wound itself was still sore, flaring up at her touch. Not wanting to sit around and waste time, she steeled herself before stepping out of the bed.

Her leg surprisingly took the weight well, only hurting if she forced it more than necessary. Perhaps the wound had only  _ looked _ bad, and was healing quickly.

Nobody else was in the room, which was rather plain. The walls and carpet matched those in the main hall of Cleave’s castle, so Estelle assumed that was where she was. She took a moment to glance around, but after finding nothing of note, she headed to the door.

As she stepped out into the hall, she heard voices deep in discussion not too far off. She could faintly make out Mario and Luigi, and was relieved that they had not left.

“It will take some doing, but the royal family has measures in place to protect against this. Rest assured, you can focus on retrieving it without too much worry.”

When she finally rounded the corner, Mario, Luigi, and Cleave were there. The three paused in their discussion when they noticed her appear, looks of varying surprise and concern on their faces.

“Lady Estelle, you are awake.” Cleave said.

“Yes… Did I miss anything important?” She asked, looking between the three.

“Not at all. You were only asleep for a few hours.” Mario explained. “Cleave was just telling us we could continue on our journey if we wanted--once you were all healed, of course.”

“Then let us waste no time. We should go. The sooner we find Fabula again, the sooner we can stop this. And… Perhaps get some answers.”

“But… Your leg…” Luigi mumbled.

“I’m fine.” She insisted, folding her arms. She had hardly limped on her way over here, and if her leg wasn’t burning with pain, then she was good to get going.

Mario and Luigi looked to Cleave worriedly, but the king merely shook his head. 

“Even without her memories, she’s still quite stubborn…” He said, though the faintest trace of amusement could be heard on his voice.

“Then I guess we’ll go.” Mario sighed, shrugging. “Thank you very much for your hospitality, your majesty.”

“Of course.” Cleave replied with a nod. “I wish you luck on the next leg of your journey.

The brothers then took Estelle’s hands, by now familiar with the sensation of changing worlds.

* * *

Much like they had been assaulted with heat when they arrived in the desert kingdom, when they stepped foot in this new world, cold immediately snapped at their skin.

Estelle let go of the brothers’ hands and clutched her arms, already shivering as freezing wind whipped around them. She may have had an advantage with her short sleeves under the blazing sun, but now she was beginning to regret her fashion choices.

“A little nippy, huh?” Mario said with a light chuckle, though his teeth were chattering. He ignored the sour look Estelle gave him and immediately scanned the area for signs of shelter.

For the most part, it was nothing but snow. The storm overhead covered up any source of light, and only small breaks in the clouds gave the three any sense as to where they were. 

“I think I see some trees over there!” Luigi said between shudders, pointing. He was definitely looking worse for wear, but was trying his best to stay upright.

Mario was quick to lead the other two in the direction Luigi had indicated, bracing himself against the biting wind. Luckily, Luigi’s eyes had not failed him. The edge of a thick pine forest emerged from the flurry of snow, and they were able to take shelter under the branches, shielded from the worst of the winds.

“Can’t see too far into it.” Mario commented, squinting out into the storm. 

“And I, less so.” Estelle mumbled. Though not much light was able to pass through the clouds, what did reflected off the white snow and make things much brighter than they actually were. Like the desert, Estelle’s sensitive eyes were not helping her much.

“How much longer until it lets up, you think?”

“With our luck, it’s probably like this constantly.” She said with a heavy sigh, taking a seat under one of the trees.

“Hey, don’t be like that.” Mario said. “I’m sure there’s something out there.”

“Whether there is or not, I don’t think we should risk our well-being going out to find it. I’d suggest we move on, but with my injury and the fact we just teleported, who knows what kind of strain that will put on me.”

“If you think you can do it, then alright, but… What do you think, Luigi?”

Mario merely glanced in Luigi’s direction, briefly seeing him sit under the cover of his own tree. When a moment went by without response, however, he looked again.

“Luigi?!” He cried, seeing his brother slumped against the trunk. He rushed to Luigi’s side, shaking him, but his twin did not respond. It was then Mario noticed his flushed face, and put a hand to his forehead.

“He’s burning up,” He said after a moment. “I can feel it through my glove. We need to get him help, fast.”

Estelle attempted to get up and approach, but yelped as a pain went through her leg. Her wound was agitated by the cold, and she could barely move.

Mario bit his lip, then glanced back into the storm. It hadn’t lessened up at all, and in fact seemed to have gotten worse.

“You can’t possibly be thinking about going out there in search of help.” Estelle managed.

“Why not?” Mario challenged, letting panic reach his voice for once. “Neither you or Luigi are in any condition to move--It’s as good a chance as any!”

Estelle tried again to stand up, but was once more stopped by her leg. She shook her head with an annoyed grunt, then looked to Luigi.

“Fine. I’ll keep an eye on him. But if you don’t find anyone in an hour… Come straight back.” She said.

After a quiet moment, Mario nodded. With one last look to Luigi, he stood up and walked to the edge of the tree line. With a shaky breath, he stepped out into the snow, quickly vanishing from view in the flurry.

Estelle watched him, then did her best to scoot over to Luigi, biting back against the pain that went through her leg with every jostle. Once she sat shoulder-to-shoulder with him, she huddled up, trying to ignore the biting temperature.

She honestly hoped Mario would find help, and soon. She hated the cold. Not to mention the longer Luigi stayed unconscious in this weather, the greater danger he was in.

Even if Mario didn’t find help, and she was able to teleport them again, there was no guarantee they would end up somewhere that was any better than this. As dire as it seemed, this was their best bet.

Estelle sighed to herself. If only she could be more help. Sure, she was able to bring the brothers to different worlds, but she had no other useful abilities. Her attempts to fight the Adobe Dragon were a total flop, and now she was unable to move very far.

Then there was Fabula… So he was her mentor, huh? But just like her, he had lost his mask… And now, he was taking the Stability Pieces, risking all of reality…

“What a mess this all is…” She mumbled, not that she was speaking to anyone but herself. “And all I’ve done is made things more complicated…”

As she spoke, she could feel her eyes growing heavy. As much as she knew she needed to stay awake, the call of sleep was so strong. Her body begged for more rest, and try as she might, she couldn’t resist.

Within seconds, she was asleep next to Luigi.

* * *

Estelle could never recall having any good dreams. Most of the time when she slept, they were periods of quiet and stillness. She would close her eyes for a time, then wake up fully rested--nothing more, nothing less.

However, when she  _ did _ dream… It was never peaceful.

As far back as she could remember, it had always started the same. An endless shroud of black, with her cowering in the middle. A few moments would pass, then the whispering started. She could never make the words out, but their tone was judgemental and cruel.

It was then the eyes would appear, bright red and leering down at her from all over. No matter which way she turned, more and more would meet her and pierce through her very being. She would curl up and cover her ears, but she could still hear the voices; she could still feel the gaze of the eyes over every inch of her.

She would sit there for what seemed like hours, body shuddering and eyes flooding with tears. She just wanted it to stop. Why wouldn’t it stop?

It almost seemed like her pleas were answered. The voices paused. The animosity in the air had diminished.

She warily lifted her head, wondering what was going on. This had never happened before. What did it mean?

When her eyes settled on the shadowy figure in front of her, her blood went cold. 

It was barely perceivable in the darkness, and with its red eyes matching the ones all around, it almost blended in with the scenery. But Estelle could sense that it was a figure, and it was slowly moving towards her.

_ You ask for it to stop, when these are the same things you tell yourself every day. _

A voice, chilling to the bone with its metallic whisper, entered her head. 

_ ‘I cannot do anything; I will wander forever; I have only inconvenienced others in all my life…’ Why is it when  _ we _ tell you, you do not wish to hear them? _

Estelle didn’t answer--Or more accurately, she couldn’t. Her body was stiff with fear, and a terrible sense of dread churned in her stomach. She didn’t have the courage to deny what was being said, but she also couldn’t bring herself to accept it.

The figure had gotten closer now. It stood in front of her, its red eyes still as sharp as ever.

_ If you wish for us to stop… Then prove us wrong. Prove  _ yourself  _ wrong. _

It was then the figure brought out a clawed hand, just barely visible, and reached for Estelle. It touched her cheek, sending a wave of cold all over her body.

“Stop!” Estelle managed. “Let go!”

As she tried to push the figure away, her hand met snow, and her eyes opened to white. During her sleep, she had fallen over, landing face-down on the icy ground.

Shaking herself awake and sitting back up, she did her best to shove the memories of her dream aside and turned to look at Luigi.

The plumber’s face was still flush, but he was now snoring lightly. Estelle gave out a sigh, softly hoping he was having a better dream than she did.

She wasn’t sure how long she had been asleep, but Mario had not returned. Did he perhaps find somebody? Or had she not been asleep for very long? She hoped it was the former--The cold was getting worse.

Not wishing to fall asleep again, Estelle decided to stand up and walk around for a bit. The movement would keep her awake, and perhaps the blood flow would keep her warm for a little.

As much as her leg objected, she managed to stand upright, and began to pace between a couple of trees. Her limp made the process slow, but she counted her steps to keep her mind off the pain  _ and  _ the cold. 

Why did she not wear shoes, again? At least she didn’t have toes…

At around step 263, something made her stop, and snap her head towards the deeper part of the forest. She could have sworn she heard something. 

This forest didn’t have anything dangerous, did it? There had been no sounds to indicate any signs of life until now, so just what was that?

Well, she certainly wasn’t going to find out by just standing around. And if she didn’t fend whatever it was off, both she and Luigi would be in big trouble.

With a quick glance back to Luigi, she picked a fallen branch off the ground. Holding it ready like a club, she began to carefully make her way in the direction of the noise. 

It wasn’t long before she reached a small break in the trees--not a full clearing, but enough space to stand free of roots. The canopy made the area dimmer, which Estelle actually liked, seeing as the bright snow had been making her eyes sore.

On the other side of the gap, she saw perhaps the most strangely-dressed person she had ever laid eyes on. His bright purple and yellow clothes stuck out like a sore thumb in the mesh of green and grey, and his pointed hat definitely caught her attention fairly quickly.

From the looks of things, he had tripped over a tree root and fallen into the snow, and was now muttering curses to himself as he regained his footing and brushed the snow off. He didn’t notice Estelle until he turned, and went still upon locking eyes with her.

“Wh-Who are you?” She managed, still brandishing her improvised weapon. “What are you doing here?”

The stranger gave her an incredulous look, which seemed rather odd on his half-and-half face. He managed to regain his composure, however, and took a cautious step forward.

“Estelle? Is that really you?”

It was Estelle’s turn to look incredulous, as she was quite surprised that he knew her name. Did that mean he was somebody from her past?

“I’m sorry, who are you?” She managed, lowering the branch slightly. “I’m afraid I don’t--”

“Of course you don’t remember.” He cut in with a sigh. “You lost your mask, after all. Fabula was beside himself…”

The man stepped forward, and when Estelle did not raise her weapon again, he closed the distance between them, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. She found it quite odd that he didn’t seem to have any arms, but then again, she wasn’t really in the place to judge, what with her lack of a mouth.

“I’m from yours and Fabula’s home--Sonatus. After you had an accident that led to you losing your mask, Fabula and a few others went out to search for you. We’ve been looking for you for  _ seventy years,  _ dear.”

“Really?” She asked. That did seem to make sense… And then, somewhere along the way, Fabula…

“But,” she continued. “Something terrible has happened. Fabula lost his mask as well. I was able to learn who he was, but… But now he’s doing something horrible.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“He’s going after Stability Pieces for some reason. If we don’t stop him, all of reality will be at risk!”

“Oh my… That is certainly… A problem.” He mumbled, putting his free hand to his mouth in shock. “But… We have ways of fixing it. We should head back to Sonatus and notify everyone else. Then we can make plans to stop Fabula.”

Estelle was almost ready to agree, but then remembered Mario and Luigi. She couldn’t just leave them. They would be stranded in this snowy world…

“Could we bring along my friends?” She asked. “They’re very capable, and have helped save the world before.”

The man glanced to the side, looking uncomfortable at that suggestion. 

“As much as I would love to… Sonatus doesn’t allow outsiders. And besides, this is an issue that should be left between our kind, the Masked Magicians.” He managed. 

“I can’t leave them here, though.” She insisted. “They have no way to go back home.”

“I’m sure they’ll be fine, Estelle. You said it yourself, they saved the world before, yes?” For some reason, his tone was a little strained. “I’m sure Mario and Luigi are adaptable enough to get out of this sort of jam.”

At this, Estelle went still. She stared right at the man, letting only the uneasy whistling of the wind pass between them. Something wasn’t right about this.

“I never mentioned their names.” She finally said. “Just who are you?”

The man seemed to stiffen, but quickly relaxed, and began to chuckle to himself. Pretty soon, his chuckle turned into a full laugh, though he was swift to stifle it.

“Somebody who seems to have a habit of getting ahead of himself…” 

Estelle attempted to step away, but his grip on her shoulder tightened, and the struggle made her leg flare up with pain again.

“Now, now, let’s have none of that.” He chided. “You can either come along quietly, or I’ll have to make things messy. And I don’t think either of us would like the latter, hm?”

“Let me go!” She cried, attempting to pull up her branch, only for him to bat it out of her hand. 

This wasn’t good. She needed to get away from him. But with her injured leg and no way to use magic, how could she?

Desperate and panicking, she did the only thing she could think of. With her now weapon-free hand, she jabbed forward, striking him in the face. He grunted at the impact, head turning, but still would not let go of her. Even as she tried to pull away during the distraction, his hold was as strong as ever.

“Well… That’s all of my patience gone.” He sighed. He slowly turned his head back to look at her, now sneering. “Can’t blame me for trying.”

Magic gathered in his free hand, but before Estelle could see much more, he pulled her towards him, almost like a hug but much more hostile. With a swift movement, he brought his hand forward, plunging a makeshift blade of energy through her abdomen.

Pain erupted through her body, but she was taken so off-guard that she could utter little more than a squeak. Her body immediately went limp, still leaning against him as she felt something warm and wet spread out from the wound. 

“Wha--” She attempted to speak, only for a heavy cough to shake her and bring the scent of blood to her nose. All she could do was lean against him, overtaken by shock.

“Shh, shh, shh…” He said. “It’ll all be over soon.”

He then let go of her, allowing her to fall to the ground. The warmth was swiftly fading from her body, and her senses were steadily growing numb. Her vision blurred, and try as she might, she couldn’t keep her eyes open for much longer. The last thing she saw was the white snow around her steadily turning pink as it absorbed her blood.

  
  


Dimentio stared down at the girl’s still form. He was disappointed it had come to this, but at least it could still tie into his plan. All he needed to do was pin things on the Mario brothers, and then Fabula would do whatever he was told. Simple as that.

Dispersing the magic in his hands and doing his best to wipe the blood from his gloves, he let out a sigh. As he watched his breath cloud up and fade into the air, he glanced back down at where Estelle had fallen, only to pause in confusion.

Rather than the body of the girl, what lay in the small puddle of pink was a blue, misty blob. It took him a moment to guess that the blob was the girl, but… How? And why?

“Some form of a defense mechanism, perhaps?” He mumbled to himself, now carefully lifting the form off the ground. With a turn, he could see a pair of closed, white eyes on its surface, and faint pink shapes floated just beneath the aether’s surface. It was definitely a curious thing…

“Well, if your body is going to try and heal itself… I suppose I’ll just have to work with this.” He finally said, fully aware that she wasn’t listening. “Killing you outright would have been fine, but… Perhaps I could try something else.”

He then looked in the direction that she had come from, briefly considering following her footsteps. Mario and Luigi would be such easy targets, if they were truly stranded. 

“No… No need to make a bigger mess than necessary.” He told himself. “A hostage will do just fine.”

And with that, he vanished.

* * *

“Hello? Anybody out there?” Mario called into the storm. He rubbed his shoulders and squinted, trying to see through the flurry. He had been walking for a couple of hours, and was starting to feel numb all over. The snow had thinned out slightly, but it was still difficult to see more than a few feet in front of him.

He glanced up at the sky, seeing that it had grown much darker. If he wanted to get back to Luigi and Estelle before nightfall, he would have to turn around now. The snow wasn’t sticking very well, so he could still see the footprints he had left. All he had to do was follow them back.

Deciding it was the best course of action, he pivoted and began to walk back. Hopefully the pair had found better shelter, and were feeling better. 

Mario had been walking about twenty minutes when he paused. He could have sworn he heard something. He took a moment to look around, but all he saw was the same white expanse he had seen before.

That was… Odd.

Still wary, he took a few cautious steps, careful not to make any noise. Then, only second after he had stopped moving, he heard it: Crunching snow a few years behind him.

He whipped around, not sure what to expect.

In the distance stood a small creature, unlike anything Mario had seen. It stared at him with its bright pink eyes, looking startled at having been caught. When it realized Mario wasn’t going to attack it, it bolted away into the snow.

“Hey, wait!” Mario cried, attempting to run after it. The creature had vanished into the whiteness, so his sprint was short-lived. He clenched his fist in frustration. It might have been able to help them!

He then sighed, knowing it would be pointless to try and look for it. He would just get lost, and cause the other two to worry about him.

Turning back once more, he resumed his journey back to the trees. 

* * *

“I’m back!” He said, stepping into the shade of the trees. It was clearly night now. Though he was a little late, Mario was sure the other two would forgive him.

He saw that Luigi was still asleep, but looked less red in the face. That could be a sign his fever was starting to break, which filled Mario with relief. 

“Estelle, I-” He turned to where Estelle had been sitting when he had left, only to find nobody there. The spot she had occupied was empty, with only disturbed snow hinting that anyone had been there in the first place. 

Mario paused, not expecting this. Estelle had promised to keep an eye on Luigi, so… Where did she go? 

“Estelle?” He called, assuming she might have wandered off. He heard no response, then shifted his view. It was then that he noticed the footprints leading deeper into the forest. 

Perhaps she went on a small walk or something, he assured himself. He decided to catch up to her and let her know he was there, so he quickly followed the prints.

As he went deeper, it got darker, making it harder to make the path out. He was quickly reprieved, however, when he came to a clear area. Looking around, it was obvious that Estelle wasn’t there… But there were no other footprints. Where could she have gone?

A cold feeling flooded Mario, and it wasn’t from the wintery weather. What if Estelle had gone to another dimension without them? Would she really do that?

_No, you’re overthinking things!_ He assured himself. _She has to be around here somewhere._

It was then he shifted his attention back to the ground. He hadn’t noticed it when he first arrived, but a detail now stood out to him: There was a pink patch on the ground. 

He made a few cautious steps towards the patch, not sure what to make of it at first. When a metallic smell reached him, however, he realized what it was. _Blood._

_ Something had happened to Estelle. _

Mario hurriedly made his way out of the clearing, making a beeline for where he had left Luigi. Whether his brother felt good or not, he had to wake him up and--

“Huh?”

He froze in place. He had reached Luigi, but something stopped him. Standing next to his brother was the creature from before. It looked Luigi over for a moment, then noticed Mario, jumping in surprise.

The pair were at a standstill for several minutes, letting the snowflakes tumble around them in silence. 

It was the creature who spoke first.

“Is he sick?”

Mario didn’t expect the creature to speak, so it took him a moment to respond. He gripped at his hat absentmindedly, then nodded.

The creature turned back to Luigi for a moment, thinking things over. When it looked at Mario again, its face was one of determination.

“Follow Tromp. Tromp will take you home, where it’s warmer.”

Stunned by the creature’s gesture, Mario could only stare at it. When the creature gestured for him to hurry up, he finally walked over to Luigi, pulling him to his feet and draping him over his shoulder. 

The creature, apparently named Tromp, picked up speed. It seemed aware of the weight Mario was carrying, however, because it never left his field of view. He did his best to keep up as he supported his brother, who was (miraculously) still fast asleep.

“Tromp apologizes for running away earlier!” Tromp called back. “Poppa says nobody else lives here, so Tromp was scared!”

“Understandable, honestly.” Mario admitted. “I’m sorry if I freaked you out.”

“No worries! Tromp isn’t bothered by it!”

Tromp slowed down, and Mario finally had a chance to catch up. He realized they were outside a large, wooden cabin, covered in snow. Pale yellow light filtered out from the windows. Amazed he wasn’t able to locate it earlier, he looked it over. Next to the frontmost window was a blue door with a hatch set into it. 

“Tromp too short to reach the knob, but likes playing outside a lot.” Tromp explained. “So Poppa made this door for her! Wait here!” Before Mario could respond, Tromp slid through the hatch and vanished inside the cabin. He could hear her loud footsteps patter away, shortly followed by a muffled exchange.

It was a minute before the footsteps returned, this time with softer companions. The door in front of Mario swung open, revealing the interior of the home and its inhabitants.

Mario was surprised, to say the least. He hadn’t expected to encounter something so familiar, so far from home. But there, right in front of him, was a Beanish!

“Well,” The Beanish barked. “Do you want to get inside where it’s warm, or do you want him to get worse?”


End file.
